The Association of Resident Doctors in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, has officially ended its three-day warning strike following the intervention of the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.
- In a statement on Friday, the association’s president, Dr. George Ebong, announced that most of their demands had been addressed by the Federal Capital Territory Administration under Wike’s leadership.
The strike, which began on Wednesday, was aimed at pressing home their grievances. However, Ebong confirmed that members have started receiving alerts for six months of unpaid salary arrears.
He further disclosed that Wike approved and authorized several measures, including:
1. Payment of the long-overdue accoutrement allowance.
2. Approval and release of the 2024 Medical Residency Training Funds.
3. Immediate employment of doctors and allied health workers to address severe manpower shortages.
4. Payment of outstanding dues for locum doctors and other health workers.
Ebong stated that all doctors are expected to resume work on Saturday, January 25, 2025.
While expressing gratitude to the minister, Ebong urged him to address other pending demands to prevent future industrial actions.
“On behalf of the ARD-FCTA, I extend our deep appreciation to the Honourable Minister for his prompt intervention. His actions have averted a potentially indefinite shutdown. We are hopeful that issues like the payment of hazard allowances, upgrading of healthcare facilities, and conversion of post-part-two doctors to consultant cadre will also be resolved soon,” he said.
Ebong reaffirmed the association’s commitment to supporting the Renewed Hope Agenda and called for mechanisms to prevent a recurrence of such delays.
