OOUTH resident doctors begin 10-day warning strike over unpaid allowances,

By James Ogunnaike, Abeokuta

The Association of Resident Doctors at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu, Ogun State, has announced a 10-day warning strike over the non-payment of revised professional and specialist allowances, acute manpower shortages, delayed release of training funds, and worsening welfare conditions.

The association also imposed a fine of N50,000 on any of its members found disobeying the directive during the ten-day warning strike

The decision to embark on industrial action, according to a communique made available to newsmen in Abeokuta on Tuesday, was reached at the association’s second-quarter ordinary general meeting held on Monday at the Adebola Adegunwa Hall, OOUTH, Sagamu.

In the communiqué issued at the end of the meeting and signed by the president of the association, Dr John Omotoso, the resident doctors were deeply concerned about the state government’s failure to implement and pay the revised professional and specialist allowances, including outstanding arrears.

They noted that despite the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum issued earlier by the doctors, no Memorandum of Understanding had been signed, and no firm commitment had been received from the state government regarding payment, implementation and payment of the revised professional allowance and specialist allowance, including outstanding arrears.

The communique stated that “Congress expressed serious concerns regarding the non-implementation and non-payment of the revised professional allowance and specialist allowance, including outstanding arrears.

“Congress noted that despite the expiration of the fourteen-day ultimatum, no Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed and no firm commitment to payment has been received from the relevant authorities”.

The doctors also expressed dissatisfaction with the delay in payment of the 2026 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF), despite its domestication by the State government, coupled with critical manpower shortages that have resulted in excessive workload, burnout, and prolonged working hours due to inadequate staffing across departments.

Other concerns of the doctors include recurrent security breaches, theft, and burglary within the hospital environment, posing risks to staff and patients; the poor state of call rooms and inadequate accommodation facilities for doctors; and persistent poor quality and inadequate provision of call meals for resident doctors.

The association stated further that after extensive deliberation, “the congress unanimously decided to proceed on a 10-day warning strike, demand the immediate payment of the 2026 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF) and that a revised professional allowance and specialist allowance be reflected in the July 2026 salary payment”.

The doctors also demanded for a comprehensive overhaul of the hospital’s security architecture, including improved lighting, enhancement of perimeter fencing, and other necessary security measures.

Other demands include immediate renovation and upgrading of call rooms and doctors’ accommodation, as well as immediate improvement in the quality and quantity of call meals provided to doctors.

The association warned that “any doctor found disobeying the directive of the association during the ten-day warning strike shall pay a fine of ₦50,000”.

The association has also promised to convene an Emergency General Meeting (EGM) at the expiration of the ten-day warning strike to review developments and determine further actions.

The post OOUTH resident doctors begin 10-day warning strike over unpaid allowances, appeared first on Vanguard News.