LAUTECH resident doctors’ strike enters 32nd day over welfare demands

Resident doctors at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, have entered the 32nd day of an industrial action over outstanding welfare-related demands. The Association of Resident Doctors said the strike followed the expiration of an eight-week ultimatum issued after an earlier warning strike was suspended. The association said the unresolved issues included implementation of the Professional Allowance Table, payment of outstanding Medical Residency Training Fund and settlement of six months of Minimum Wage arrears.

In a statement signed by its president, Mustapha Adedapo, and secretary, John Stephen, the doctors acknowledged steps taken towards addressing some concerns. These included efforts to establish a legal framework for the Medical Residency Training Act and part payment of the residency training fund. However, the association said the Professional Allowance Table remained unresolved.

It described Oyo as the only state in the South-West yet to implement the table and warned that poor welfare conditions could affect the retention and movement of medical personnel. The doctors said LAUTECH Teaching Hospital provides specialised services in orthopaedics, urology, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, while serving patients from Oyo and other areas. They warned that the continued loss of skilled staff could undermine specialist care and residency training.

They called on the Oyo State Government to implement competitive welfare packages, pay the outstanding funds and settle the wage arrears. The association said it remained committed to dialogue and was hopeful that the governor and other stakeholders could resolve the dispute. The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors has expressed solidarity with the LAUTECH doctors and warned that failure to address the demands could lead to regional or national industrial action.