LASUTH doctors’ strike may widen into broader healthcare disruption, warns NMA.

After resident doctors at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) began a three‑day warning strike, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) Lagos branch cautioned that the situation could worsen into a broader healthcare disruption if the government does not act swiftly.

According to the NMA, the strike was triggered by the government’s failure to resolve long‑standing welfare issues affecting hospital staff. NMA Lagos chairman Dr Ewonowo Sunday said in a Thursday statement, “We view this development with deep concern. Regrettably, this crisis was avoidable if all concerned stakeholders had been more proactive and responsive in addressing the legitimate concerns raised by the resident doctors.”

While the NMA acknowledges that strike action is a last resort, it stated that it often becomes inevitable when dialogue fails to yield results. The association listed the resident doctors’ grievances as delayed implementation of revised professional allowances, unpaid promotion arrears, and insufficient welfare support for training doctors.

The statement outlined several specific demands that led to the warning strike:

• Immediate commencement, construction, and timely completion of the newly modernised Resident Doctors’ Quarters and Residency Training Centre at LASUTH;
• Urgent conclusion and implementation of the revised Professional Allowance for doctors in Lagos State;
• Payment of specialist allowance to all eligible Senior Registrar I doctors at LASUTH;
• Immediate payment of all outstanding advancement and promotion arrears owed to members;
• Prompt conclusion, approval, and disbursement of the 2026 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF) to all eligible resident doctors.

Additional demands include strengthening security measures to protect healthcare workers, patients, and health facilities across LASUTH and the wider Lagos State.

The NMA noted that these issues are not new but longstanding concerns that require urgent attention to prevent further deterioration of morale among healthcare workers. The association warned that the situation in Lagos mirrors a broader national pattern, as resident doctors across the country continue to issue ultimatums over similar unresolved welfare concerns.