JUST-IN: FCT Resident Doctors Suspend Strike

The Association of Resident Doctors in the Federal Capital Territory Administration (ARD-FCTA) has suspended its indefinite strike and directed members to work on Monday.

Speaking with our correspondent on Friday, the association’s president, Dr George Ebong, said the decision followed interventions from the Senate Committee on Federal Territory Area Councils and Ancillary Matters, chaired by Senator David Jimkuta.

He, however, stressed that none of the doctors’ demands had been met.

The ARD-FCTA comprises doctors working in 14 district and general hospitals under the FCTA and the Department of Public Health.

The doctors embarked on the strike last Monday after months of unresolved negotiations with the FCTA.

Their demands include payment of salary arrears ranging from one to six months for members employed since 2023, Immediate recruitment of new staff, settlement of the 2025 Medical Residency Training Fund, and payment of arrears from the 25–35 per cent upward review of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS).

Others demands of the doctord include clear timelines for completing skipping and conversion processes for members, correction of erroneous salary deductions and irregular payment patterns and conversion of post-Part II Fellows to Consultant cadre within six months of passing.

The rest are documented timelines for promotion exercises with full arrears, payment of wage award arrears, renovation and proper equipping of FCTA hospitals, and settlement of hazard allowance arrears and salary owed to newly employed external residents, currently unpaid for three to four months.

Dr Ebong said, “We are suspending the strike to begin work at 8 a.m. Monday morning. Even though none of our demands have been met, the Senate has assured us that they will engage the minister. Congress has decided to trust their word for now. We also appreciate the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, for his interventions.”

He added that the association’s Congress will reconvene after the agreed timeframe to reassess progress and decide on the next steps if their demands remain unaddressed.