The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, NARD, has thrown its weight behind the indefinite strike by resident doctors at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, urging the Lagos State Government to urgently resolve the dispute.
The national body said the industrial action followed prolonged delays in addressing welfare issues affecting doctors at the tertiary health institution, despite previous agreements and assurances.
In a statement signed by its President, Dr Mohammad Usman Suleiman, and Secretary-General, Dr Shuabu Ibrahim, NARD said it was in “full solidarity” with the Association of Resident Doctors, LASUTH, LASUTH-ARD.
NARD called on Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the state Ministry of Health to intervene directly and engage the doctors in negotiations aimed at ending the dispute.
The association said some of the unresolved issues involved the alleged non-payment of specialist allowance to Grade Level 14 resident doctors, particularly Senior Registrars 1.
According to NARD, the implementation of the allowance had not kept pace with applicable Federal Government standards, leaving affected doctors with outstanding entitlements.
The association also cited alleged salary shortfalls and advancement arrears owed to doctors since last year. It further claimed that doctors were owed 25 months of arrears linked to the delayed implementation of the revised Professional Allowance Table, PAT.
Another concern raised by NARD was the transparency of recent salary payments. The association alleged discrepancies and irregularities in payments and called for comprehensive salary breakdown tables to enable affected doctors to verify what they had received.
NARD said doctors at LASUTH had continued working despite the outstanding issues but eventually resorted to industrial action after what it described as prolonged delays in resolving the dispute.
The national association said the doctors had demonstrated patience and commitment but argued that the failure to honour previous agreements had left them with limited options.
It warned that a prolonged strike could further affect patient care and create additional pressure on healthcare delivery in Lagos State.
NARD therefore urged the state government to treat the matter with urgency and meet the resident doctors to negotiate a resolution. The association said restoring normal medical services should remain a priority while the outstanding welfare obligations to affected doctors were addressed.
It also called on the Lagos State Government to work with LASUTH-ARD towards a negotiated settlement that would bring the industrial action to an end. NARD maintained that it would continue to support the LASUTH resident doctors until the dispute was resolved, while urging the state authorities to take immediate steps to prevent further disruption of healthcare services.
