UCH Resident Doctors Resume Work After Month-Long Nationwide Strike
Resident doctors at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, have resumed work after a month-long nationwide strike. The industrial action, which began on November 1, was initiated by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) after the government failed to meet their demands. The doctors had called for a 200 percent increase in the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure, full implementation of new allowances proposed since July 2022, immediate recruitment of clinical staff, and the removal of bureaucratic delays affecting the replacement of existing doctors. Dr. Gboyega Ajibola, President of UCH NARD, said the NARD National Executive Council met on November 29 to reassess the situation and determined that the government had satisfied most of their immediate and short-term demands. He added that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed with the government, outlining the association’s demands and the timelines for implementation. “Based on the satisfactory terms of the MoU, the NARD NEC decided to suspend the industrial action and give the government four weeks to execute the agreed points,” Ajibola explained. In line with NARD protocol, each centre held a congress on December 1 to brief members on the development. Following the briefing, centre presidents instructed all resident doctors to return to their duty posts. Ajibola confirmed that all resident doctors at UCH resumed work on Monday.