Medical services at the Osun State University Teaching Hospital in Osogbo ground to a halt on Saturday as resident doctors joined their colleagues across Nigeria in an indefinite strike, leaving thousands of patients stranded and raising fresh concerns about the country’s struggling healthcare system.
The industrial action, which affects one of the largest segments of Nigeria’s medical workforce, comes after the National Association of Resident Doctors exhausted a 30-day ultimatum to the Federal Government over longstanding welfare issues and unmet commitments.
Dr Phillip Ajibade, President of the Association of Resident Doctors in Osun, confirmed that members at the state teaching hospital had fully complied with the directive from the national leadership to withdraw services completely.
“The NARD president was clear. He has directed all Nardits (members) in Nigeria to go on total, indefinite, comprehensive strike. ARD UTH Osogbo is an affiliate of NARD and we have complied,” Dr Ajibade told the News Agency of Nigeria on Saturday.
He emphasised that the grievances driving the nationwide action were not abstract federal matters but tangible concerns affecting doctors at all levels across the country.
“What NARD is demanding from the Federal Government and fighting for, equally affects us too as doctors,” he said.
The strike announcement came from Dr Mohammad Suleiman, National President of NARD, who declared the commencement of the industrial action following the expiration of the ultimatum issued to government authorities.
According to Dr Suleiman’s statement on Saturday, the decision to proceed with the strike followed a series of unsuccessful meetings with government representatives and numerous unfulfilled promises regarding improved conditions of service for resident doctors.
The timing of the strike adds another layer of pressure to Nigeria’s already overstretched public healthcare infrastructure, where government-owned hospitals serve as the primary healthcare access point for millions of citizens who cannot afford private medical care.
Resident doctors form the backbone of Nigeria’s public hospital system, providing round-the-clock medical care, performing emergency procedures, and managing the bulk of patient consultations in teaching hospitals and federal medical centres across the country. Their withdrawal from duty typically results in the near-total collapse of medical services in affected facilities, except for the most critical emergencies.
The latest industrial action continues a troubling pattern in Nigeria’s health sector, where medical professionals have repeatedly resorted to strikes to press for better working conditions, payment of salary arrears, improved equipment, and implementation of agreements signed with previous administrations.
Teaching hospitals like the Osun State University Teaching Hospital serve dual purposes as both healthcare facilities and training grounds for medical students and young doctors. The strike disrupts not only patient care but also the medical education of future healthcare professionals.
With no immediate resolution in sight and the strike declared indefinite, patients requiring medical attention at the Osogbo facility face the difficult choice of seeking care at private hospitals, travelling to facilities in neighbouring states, or postponing treatment altogether—options that carry significant financial and health implications for ordinary Nigerians already struggling with economic hardship.
The Federal Government has yet to issue an official response to the commencement of the strike or indicate when negotiations might resume to address the doctors’ demands.
