Resident doctors at the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital (COOUTH), Awka, Anambra State, have commenced a seven-day warning strike to demand improved welfare and fulfillment of government promises.
The industrial action was declared in a communiqué issued after an emergency meeting of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), COOUTH chapter, held on Wednesday in Awka, the state capital. The communiqué, titled Notification of Commencement of Industrial Action and jointly signed by ARD President, Dr. Joy Okwumuo, and Secretary, Dr. Chukwubuike Ifekudu, stated that the strike began at exactly 12 noon on Thursday.
According to the doctors, their decision followed failed efforts to compel the state government to honor its pledge to fully implement the Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF), which was promised since January 2025 but has yet to be paid.
The association also highlighted the non-implementation of the revised Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), as well as the withholding of allowances, including accoutrement, rural posting, specialist, and teaching allowances. They further decried accumulated arrears and an acute shortage of medical personnel, which they said has left resident doctors overstretched.
“ARD COOUTH made several efforts to engage the government since the beginning of this year to ensure the realisation of the promises made that led to the suspension of previous industrial action on October 4, 2024,” the doctors said.
They lamented that the government ignored a 10-day ultimatum issued by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) in a letter dated September 1. After one year of waiting without results, the group said it had “regrettably resolved to commence the industrial action.”
okaynews.com reports that the resident doctors warned that unless their demands are met, the strike could escalate into an indefinite action, crippling healthcare delivery at the tertiary health facility.
They called on the Anambra State government to urgently approve and gazette the MRTF to prevent recurrent disputes and urged immediate recruitment of more health workers to meet the standard staffing requirement.
“We hope that all demands are met to prevent indefinite industrial action that might be a consequence,” the communiqué read.
The doctors also appealed to hospital management, civil society, and the general public to prevail on the government to take swift action.
