Healthcare services at Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) remained severely disrupted on Monday as the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) entered the eighth day of its strike.
The industrial action, carried out on the directive of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), follows protracted but fruitless negotiations with LUTH management over critical welfare issues affecting resident doctors.
At a press briefing on Monday, the ARD outlined two urgent, non-negotiable demands: the immediate completion of the Resident Doctors’ Quarters and the reinstatement of call duty meals for doctors on shift.
According to the association, an incomplete renovation project—ongoing for more than 18 months—has left LUTH resident doctors without access to their designated accommodation. Many doctors, the ARD said, are forced to sleep in their cars, hospital lounges, or other unsuitable locations, especially after overnight shifts that often last more than 24 hours and involve attending to medical emergencies.
“This prolonged delay has significantly impacted the welfare, safety, and well-being of doctors,” the association stated, urging the Federal Government to urgently release funds so that the Chief Medical Director can complete the renovations.
Equally urgent, the ARD said, is the restoration of call duty meals—a standard welfare provision that has reportedly been withdrawn at LUTH. Resident doctors, who cannot leave their posts during shifts to get food, rely on these meals to deliver safe, uninterrupted patient care. The ARD noted that such provisions are common in other federal tertiary hospitals and that LUTH should not be an exception.
Concluding the briefing, the association appealed to the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Ali Pate; the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Iziaq Salako; and other concerned Nigerians to intervene.
The ARD warned that until basic working conditions are restored, healthcare disruptions at LUTH will continue. “Our commitment has always been to care for our patients at the bedside,” the association affirmed. “However, quality healthcare cannot be sustained when the welfare and basic needs of healthcare workers are neglected.”
The ARD emphasized its willingness to engage in constructive dialogue and expressed hope for a swift resolution to the crisis.
