Resident Doctors in Abuja Down Tools
The Association of Resident Doctors, Federal Capital Territory (ARD-FCT), has announced the commencement of a seven-day warning strike, effective Monday, September 8, 2025.
The decision was contained in a communiqué signed by the association’s president, Dr. George Ebong, alongside other executive members.
Doctors Cite Systemic Failures in FCT Health System
According to the communiqué, the strike action is a response to what the doctors described as a long-standing systemic failure within the FCT health sector.
“The health system in the FCT has been crippled by years of neglect, inefficiency, and lack of reforms. Doctors are under immense pressure, frequently covering multiple departments without adequate support,” Dr. Ebong stated.
Mounting Pressure on Doctors
Resident doctors revealed that the shortage of medical staff has forced many of them to work beyond their limits, often handling the workload of several departments at once.
The ARD-FCT leadership emphasized that such conditions not only compromise the quality of healthcare delivery but also put the well-being of doctors at risk.
Call for Urgent Reforms
The association is demanding:
Immediate recruitment of more doctors and health workers
Improved working conditions and infrastructure across FCT hospitals
Implementation of long-term reforms to strengthen Abuja’s healthcare system
Failure to address these issues, ARD-FCT warned, may force resident doctors to escalate their industrial action beyond the warning strike.
Implications for Patients in the FCT
With resident doctors making up a significant portion of frontline medical staff, the strike is expected to disrupt healthcare services across Abuja hospitals and clinics. Patients may face delays in treatment and longer waiting times during the seven-day action.
