The Lagos healthcare system faces mounting pressure as resident doctors at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital have embarked on a three-day warning strike, prompting an urgent alarm from the Nigerian Medical Association, Lagos State branch.

The association warned that the industrial action, if not swiftly addressed, could snowball into a full-blown crisis across public hospitals in the state. It described the strike as deeply unfortunate yet avoidable, blaming prolonged delays in addressing doctors’ welfare demands for the breakdown in negotiations.

The resident doctors, under the Association of Resident Doctors, LASUTH, accuse the Lagos State Government and hospital authorities of failing to implement agreed welfare packages and of neglecting long-standing commitments. Their grievances include delayed implementation of revised professional allowances, unpaid promotion and advancement arrears, and inadequate welfare support for doctors in training.

Key demands include the immediate commencement and timely completion of a modernised Resident Doctors’ Quarters and Residency Training Centre at LASUTH, payment of specialist allowances to all eligible senior registrars, and settlement of all outstanding promotion arrears. The doctors are also insisting on prompt approval and disbursement of the Medical Residency Training Fund, payment of teaching allowances to registrars and house officers, and strengthened security for health workers and patients within LASUTH and other state facilities.

The NMA stressed that strike action remains a last resort but becomes inevitable when repeated dialogue fails to yield tangible results. It warned that the situation in Lagos mirrors a wider national pattern, with resident doctors in other centres issuing ultimatums over similar unresolved welfare issues.

The association referenced ongoing tensions within the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, which has repeatedly raised concerns over unpaid allowances and residency training funds, as well as disputes at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, where doctors have demanded better working conditions, including basic provisions for those on call.

The NMA cautioned that failure to act decisively could trigger a chain reaction of industrial actions, severely disrupting healthcare delivery in Lagos and beyond. It urged the Lagos State Government, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, and hospital managements to engage the striking doctors constructively and without delay.

The association reiterated that the welfare of doctors is directly linked to patient outcomes, insisting that a motivated and adequately supported workforce is indispensable to any functional health system. While backing the legitimacy of the doctors’ demands, it appealed to its members to remain calm, united and professional as efforts continue to secure an amicable resolution.