FCT resident doctors suspend their indefinite strike after Senate intervention, to resume work Monday.
They warn action could resume if salary arrears, staffing and hospital upgrade demands remain unmet.
Newskobo.com earlier reported that Abuja doctors had begun an indefinite strike as their demands remained unmet.
The Association of Resident Doctors, Federal Capital Territory Administration (ARD-FCTA), has suspended its indefinite strike, confirming that members will return to work on Monday at 8 a.m.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, ARD-FCTA President Dr. George Ebong explained that the decision followed the intervention of the Senate Committee on Federal Territory Area Councils and Ancillary Matters, chaired by Senator David Jimkuta.
“We are suspending the strike to begin work at 8 a.m. Monday morning. Even though none of our demands have been met yet, the Senate has assured us they will talk to the minister, and Congress has decided to believe what they said,” Dr. Ebong stated. He also acknowledged the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, for his role in mediating the dispute.
Unmet demands
The doctors began their industrial action on Monday to press for a series of unresolved demands, including:
- Payment for salary arrears of one to six months owed to members employed since 2023.Immediate recruitment of new staff.
- Settlement of the 2025 Medical Residency Training Fund.
- Payment of arrears from the 25–35% upward review of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS).
- Clear timelines for skipping and conversion processes, with arrears settled.
- Correction of erroneous salary deductions and irregular payment patterns.
- Conversion of post-Part II Fellows to the Consultant cadre will occur within six months. Documented timelines for promotion exercises with arrears.
- Payment of wage award arrears and hazard allowance arrears.
- Renovation and equipping of FCTA hospitals to world-class standards.
- Settlement of salaries owed to newly employed external residents, currently unpaid for three to four months.
While suspending the strike, the doctors emphasized that their grievances remain unresolved. The ARD-FCTA said it would reconvene Congress to reassess the government’s response within the agreed timeframe, warning that further industrial action could follow if commitments are not met.
The association represents doctors working in 14 districts and general hospitals, as well as the Department of Public Health under the FCTA.
For Abuja residents, the suspension offers a temporary reprieve after a week of disrupted health services. However, with tensions still high, the possibility of another strike looms if the government fails to act swiftly on the doctors’ demands.
