The Association of Resident Doctors in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, has called off its warning strike following the intervention of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.
The doctors had grounded operations in all FCTA-owned hospitals on Wednesday over unpaid salary arrears and other unmet demands.
In a statement on Friday, the association’s president, Dr. George Ebong, announced that the doctors would resume work on Saturday, January 25, 2025, as their key demands had been met by the FCTA under Wike’s leadership.
Dr. Ebong confirmed that members had started receiving payments for six months of unpaid salary arrears. He also revealed that Wike approved and ordered the immediate payment of accoutrement allowances, the Medical Residency Training Funds for 2024, and locum payments for doctors and other health workers.
The minister also approved a two-year medical residency bonding policy, the immediate hiring of doctors and allied health workers to address manpower shortages, and other pressing matters.
In his statement, Dr. Ebong expressed gratitude to the minister for his swift action.
“On behalf of the executive members and the entire supreme congress of the Association of Resident Doctors, FCTA, I, Dr. George Ebong, deeply appreciate the Honourable Minister, Nyesom Wike, for his prompt and timely intervention in meeting our demands, thereby ending our warning shutdown and averting a looming timeless shutdown,” he said.
Dr. Ebong urged the minister to address other pending demands, such as hazard allowances, facility upgrades, and the conversion of post-part 2 doctors to consultant cadre, to prevent future industrial action.
He added, “We also humbly plead with the Honourable Minister to put a mechanism in place to avoid a repeat of this anomaly. As stakeholders in the Renewed Hope Agenda, we strongly believe in your capacity to turn the health sector of FCTA into a reference point for others to follow.”
The association welcomed Wike’s leadership and hoped he would visit district hospitals soon to witness ongoing efforts to improve healthcare delivery.
With the strike officially called off, hospitals across Abuja are expected to resume normal operations immediately.
