Ondo Doctors Threaten Industrial Action Over Poor Welfare

Medical doctors in Ondo State have issued a fresh threat to embark on an industrial action over poor welfare packages, workforce shortage and worsening conditions in the health sector across the state.

The warning was issued during a joint press briefing by the Ondo State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and its affiliate bodies, where the health professionals expressed concerns about deteriorating healthcare delivery in government-owned hospitals.

The doctors lamented that years of neglect, poor remuneration, and inadequate recruitment had continued to weaken the state’s healthcare system, leading to an increased workload for the few available medical personnel.

At the briefing, the state chairman of the association, Dr Abel Alonge, said the number of doctors in the state had dropped significantly over the last 12 years despite a rapid increase in population.

According to him, the shortage of doctors had left many general hospitals operating with either one doctor or none at all, thereby putting enormous pressure on healthcare workers still in service.

Alonge disclosed that the doctor-to-population ratio in Ondo State currently stands at about one doctor to 6,200 people, far below the standard recommended by the World Health Organisation.

He said the situation had made effective healthcare delivery increasingly difficult, adding that many doctors were overworked and underpaid.

The number of doctors serving the state today is about half what it was about 12 years ago. At that time, the population was about 3.5 million, but today the population is estimated at 5.8 million,” he said.

The NMA chairman also decried the poor state of infrastructure in public hospitals, noting that many healthcare facilities still rely on obsolete medical equipment that has been in use for over 10 to 20 years.

‎Also speaking, the state chairman of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria, Dr Stephen Adewole, described Ondo as the lowest-paying state for healthcare workers in the South-West region.

‎Adewole said poor salaries and unfavourable working conditions had forced many doctors to leave Ondo State for neighbouring states such as Lagos, Ogun, Ekiti and Osun in search of better welfare conditions.

The consultants’ association also accused the Ondo State Government of failing to implement the revised remuneration package for medical and dental practitioners approved by the federal government in November 2025.

‎According to him, several states had already commenced implementation of the circular to address brain drain in the health sector, while Ondo State had yet to take meaningful action.

‎Similarly, the president of the Association of Resident Doctors in Ondo State, DDr. Kehinde Olagbe said doctors in the state were working under unsafe and difficult conditions.

‎Olagbe warned that continued neglect of healthcare workers’ welfare could further cripple healthcare delivery in the state.

‎The doctors demanded the immediate implementation of the federal remuneration circular with arrears, improved welfare packages, urgent recruitment of doctors, and the rehabilitation of healthcare infrastructure across the state.

‎They warned that failure by the government to meet their demands within a fresh seven-day ultimatum, after earlier 14-day and 21-day notices, could force them to embark on industrial action.