The Association of Resident Doctors, Federal Capital Territory chapter (ARD-FCT), has embarked on a seven-day warning strike, demanding urgent reforms in the faltering healthcare system of Abuja’s hospitals.
In a communique issued on Monday morning, ARD-FCT President Dr George Ebong and his executive team described the FCT health sector as a long-standing systemic failure that “requires comprehensive and immediate reform.”
He complained that doctors are under unbearable strain, constantly shuffling between departments amid severe staffing shortages. Many facilities are starved of functional equipment, with X-ray machines lying idle for years, and dialysis patients turned away due to consumable scarcity.
The pressure is so overwhelming that some doctors have reportedly resorted to antidepressants just to cope.
This strike is reportedly the culmination of mounting frustration. At their third-quarter general meeting, doctors issued a one-week ultimatum to the FCT Administration to take action on staffing, equipment, unpaid allowances, and poor working conditions. With no tangible response, the warning strike commenced.
However, this isn’t the FCT’s first run-in with strike action this year.
In May 2025, resident doctors undertook a three-day warning strike over the mass dismissal of 127 health workers, which they called “inhumane and illegal”, resulting in partial concessions by the administration.
Likewise, in January, hospitals in Abuja were forced to scale down operations following another ARD strike triggered by unpaid salaries, arrears, and stalled promotions.
The strike then disrupted patient care until payment commitments were made.
