Nigeria’s healthcare sector is teetering on the edge of a major crisis as the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has threatened to embark on a nationwide strike following an ongoing labor impasse at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital in Ogbomoso.
The escalating dispute, which has paralyzed clinical activities and medical education at the tertiary health institution for over 32 days, stems from unresolved issues surrounding salary arrears, staff shortages, working conditions, and administrative disagreements involving the Oyo State Government.
In a press release issued by the national leadership of resident doctors, the association expressed deep disappointment over the prolonged deadlock, warning that the continuous neglect of medical professionals is driving essential workers out of the country and severely endangering public health. NARD warned that if the Oyo State Government and relevant health authorities fail to resolve the grievances of union members at the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital immediately, resident doctors across all federal and state tertiary hospitals nationwide will have no choice but to withdraw their services in solidarity.
Patients, community leaders, and healthcare advocates in Ogbomoso have appealed to the state government to urgently intervene and prevent a nationwide hospital shutdown that would leave millions of Nigerians without emergency healthcare services.
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