Hospitals across Nigeria were thrown into crisis yesterday as members of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) commenced a five-day warning strike, leaving thousands of patients stranded.
The strike, which began on Friday, follows the expiration of an ultimatum the doctors issued to the Federal Government to address a string of grievances. NARD’s Secretary-General, Dr Oluwasola Odunbaku, confirmed the development in a terse statement on the association’s official X handle.
According to him, the action was sanctioned by the National Executive Council after a virtual meeting earlier in the week.
> “The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors hereby notifies all members that the five-day warning strike has commenced today, in line with our NEC decision.
We urge every member across all centres to comply fully with this directive. This action is aimed at pressing home our demands for better welfare, improved working conditions, and a stronger healthcare system for Nigerians,” the statement read.
NARD President, Dr Tope Osundare, earlier explained that the strike was necessitated by government’s failure to address issues bordering on poor remuneration, harsh working conditions, epileptic power supply in hospitals, and what he described as the “downgrading” of professional certificates.
The walkout has compounded the suffering of patients already bearing the brunt of another strike by the Association of Resident Doctors, Federal Capital Territory Administration, which entered its fifth day on Friday.
At the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, patients who had been waiting to see doctors were turned back. “I came all the way from Ikorodu, only to be told doctors are not available. I don’t know what to do now,” lamented a woman who brought her sick child for treatment.
Similar scenes played out in Kano, Ibadan, and Port Harcourt where public hospitals were virtually deserted, save for nurses and consultants trying to manage emergencies.
