The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has thrown its weight behind resident doctors at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, warning that the ongoing dispute over welfare and working conditions could escalate into regional and nationwide industrial action.
NARD said Friday marked the seventh day of the indefinite strike by members of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) at LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, after a series of warnings and negotiations with the Oyo State Government failed to produce what the doctors considered tangible implementation of their demands.
The national body said the dispute had been ongoing since last year, with the resident doctors previously giving the state government a two-week notice before embarking on a five-day warning strike. That action was later suspended following appeals from the hospital management and its board, after which the doctors issued another eight-week ultimatum for the outstanding issues to be resolved.
According to NARD, the eight-week deadline expired without a satisfactory resolution, leading the doctors to commence the current indefinite strike on August 29. The association said the industrial action was not a sudden development but the latest stage in a prolonged dispute over remuneration, staffing and working conditions.
Among the major demands are payment of the Medical Residency Training Fund, settlement of state minimum-wage arrears implemented from January 2025, implementation of the corrected professional allowances table, payment of upgrade arrears for affected doctors and implementation of a new policy regulating excessive workload and working hours.
NARD said the first four of these issues fall largely within the responsibility of the Oyo State Government, while upgrade arrears are the responsibility of the hospital management.
The association has also raised concerns about manpower shortages at the teaching hospital. It said several resident doctors had left in recent months without being replaced, while doctors who completed their residency programmes had also not been replaced. It specifically identified specialties including Anaesthesia, Chemical Pathology and Haematology as areas affected by the shortage.
The shortage, according to NARD and the hospital's resident doctors, has increased the workload on the available personnel and placed additional pressure on specialist training and healthcare delivery.
The doctors have also complained about unpaid allowances and arrears, as well as poor facilities. Their demands include the rehabilitation of doctors' call rooms and on-call facilities and the enforcement of appropriate working-hour regulations to reduce excessive duty schedules and burnout.
NARD President, Dr Mohammad Usman Suleiman, said the association was concerned that resident doctors had continued working under difficult conditions while outstanding financial and welfare obligations remained unresolved.
The national association described the situation as a leadership and healthcare-delivery concern, arguing that the welfare of medical personnel cannot be separated from the quality of services available to patients.
NARD has therefore appealed directly to Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde to intervene and resolve the dispute before it spreads beyond LAUTECH Teaching Hospital.
The association warned that failure to address the outstanding issues could result in further regional and national action. However, it stressed that such escalation could still be avoided if the government implemented the agreements and commitments already reached with the doctors.
NARD is threatening possible regional and national escalation if the LAUTECH dispute remains unresolved. This distinction is important because the immediate industrial action is being carried out by resident doctors at LAUTECH Teaching Hospital in Ogbomoso.
The dispute has also raised concerns about the possible impact on patients in Ogbomoso and surrounding communities. LAUTECH Teaching Hospital serves people in Ogbomoso, Oyo, Iseyin and neighbouring areas, making the continued disruption potentially significant for patients requiring specialist medical services.
The latest development comes amid wider concerns over resident doctors' welfare across Nigeria. NARD had separately raised national concerns over outstanding salary and allowance arrears, residency training funding, workload, workplace safety and other conditions affecting doctors in public health institutions. In July, the association warned of a possible nationwide strike over unresolved federal-level demands, although that threat is separate from the current LAUTECH dispute.
For now, the focus remains on finding a resolution between the Oyo State Government, LAUTECH Teaching Hospital management and the resident doctors. NARD's latest intervention increases pressure on the state government to act, while also signalling that the national association is prepared to support its members if the dispute continues.
A resolution would not only restore normal services at the teaching hospital but could also prevent the LAUTECH dispute from developing into a wider industrial confrontation involving resident doctors in other parts of the country.
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