The Association of Resident Doctors, Federal Capital Territory (ARD-FCT), has officially commenced a seven-day warning strike, citing deep-rooted issues plaguing the FCT healthcare system.
In a communique signed by ARD-FCT President, Dr. George Ebong, alongside other executive members, the association described the FCT health sector as suffering from a long-standing systemic failure in urgent need of comprehensive reform.
Dr. Ebong lamented that doctors in the nation’s capital are overburdened, often forced to cover multiple departments due to severe manpower shortages.
He warned that continued neglect of these issues could trigger a collapse of the entire system.
“We are stretched beyond capacity. The current state of the FCT health system is not sustainable,” he said.
Key Demands of ARD-FCT include immediate recruitment to address manpower shortages, provision and repair of non-functional medical equipment, improvement of working conditions across FCT hospitals, settlement of unpaid allowances and salaries as well as prompt promotion and fair remuneration for promoted staff.
The association also stressed that reforms must include input from frontline healthcare workers, warning that top-down decision-making often leads to ineffective policies.
To drive home their point, the doctors have given the FCT administration one week to initiate meaningful reforms, particularly in the areas of staffing and welfare.
Failure to meet these demands, they warned, could result in extended industrial action.
Reacting to the strike action, the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Isaq Salako, expressed optimism that ongoing talks with the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) could forestall the planned disruption.
“Yes, NARD has issued an ultimatum, but with the level of engagement so far, I believe we’re making progress,” Salako said during a live appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.
He acknowledged that the major contention revolves around the outstanding residency training allowance, with about 40% of the 2025 allocation still unpaid.
“That is my hope, and that is what we are working on,” the Minister responded when asked if the issue would be resolved before the deadline.
