Ondo Doctors Issue 8-Day Ultimatum Over Unpaid Allowances

Medical doctors in Ondo State have issued an eight-day ultimatum to the state government, warning that a strike may be imminent if longstanding welfare concerns are not urgently addressed.

The warning was contained in a press statement issued by the chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Ondo State branch, Dr Muyiwa Alonge, who spoke on behalf of doctors and other health workers in the state.

Alonge said the ultimatum became necessary following the government’s failure to implement key federal government circulars affecting doctors’ salaries and welfare months after their approval.

According to him, the delay in implementing the directives has placed doctors in Ondo State at a disadvantage compared to their counterparts at the federal level and in other states where the benefits have been in place for a long time.

The NMA chairman also decried the non-payment of 2024 promotion allowances, noting that the situation has further worsened the morale of doctors already grappling with difficult working conditions.

He attributed the growing strain on the state’s healthcare system to the mass exodus of medical professionals, popularly known as the “Japa syndrome,” which has left a significant manpower gap.

Alonge noted that many doctors now perform the duties of several colleagues, with some general hospitals reportedly run by a single doctor who works round the clock under intense pressure.

‎He further lamented that doctors are often forced to work with obsolete or non-existent medical equipment, improvising to keep healthcare services running despite dilapidated facilities.

The NMA, he said, had previously engaged the government through a series of letters and meetings since November 2025, including the submission of a position paper on revitalising the state’s healthcare sector, but no concrete action has been taken.

‎He listed the association’s demands, including the immediate implementation of the salary adjustment circular with arrears, payment of the accoutrement allowance, settlement of outstanding 2024 promotion benefits, and urgent recruitment of doctors and other health workers.

‎Alonge, however, gave the state government until 28 April 2026, to meet the demands, warning that failure to act would compel the association to convene an emergency congress to determine its next line of action, which may include withdrawing services.

‎He said, “We are giving the government until Tuesday, 28th April 2026, to act. If nothing is done, the NMA will call an Emergency Congress to decide our next lawful steps. And that may include withdrawing services.

‎”Let me say this plainly to our people: we do not want to go on strike. When doctors strike, the people suffer. But the truth is that people are already suffering because the system has become very fragile and it is collapsing. We cannot keep quiet while our members break down (as it often happens) and our hospitals become empty.

‎”We believe the Governor means well for this State. We are asking him to show it now by implementing what the Federal Government has already approved and taking other urgent steps to revitalise the health sector. The time for dialogue is ending. The time for action is now.”