Resident Doctors Give Ultimatum To Lagos Govt Over Unpaid Allowances

The Association of Resident Doctors at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH-ARD) has given the Lagos State government seven days to implement the Specialist Allowance for Grade Level 14 doctors and pay outstanding salary and promotion arrears owed affected members.

The doctors warned that failure to meet their demands within the given time could trigger further action and possibly lead to industrial disharmony at the hospital.

It would be recalled that in June 2026, the group embarked on a three-day warning strike to press for, among other things, the immediate resumption of construction of resident doctors’ quarters within LASUTH, the implementation of the professional allowance table for all Lagos State-employed doctors, specialist allowance for Grade Level 14 resident doctors (Senior Registrar 1) at LASUTH, and payment of salary shortfalls and advancement arrears owed to affected members.

After the strike, the doctors held several meetings with the Lagos State government, during which it was agreed that the specialist allowance for Grade Level 14 resident doctors at LASUTH would be included in the professional allowance table (PAT) to be sent to the Governor for approval.

The most significant of those meetings was the one held with Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu on July 17, 2026, during which he approved the implementation of the professional allowance table for resident doctors and other doctors in Lagos State.

Speaking with newsmen, LASUTH-ARD president, Dr Akerele Alaba Gabriel, said, “It is deeply disappointing that before and after that approval, Lagos State officials led us to believe that the Specialist Allowance for SR1 had already been incorporated into the Professional Allowance Table (PAT) sent to Mr. Governor for approval. We have now confirmed that this is not the case, as the August salary paid to our members a few days ago does not reflect the specialist allowance. Verified information from the Lagos State government also confirmed that it was not captured in the PAT approved by Mr. Governor.”

He added that the allowance was already being paid to their counterparts in federal institutions and in some states, including Osun, Delta and Enugu, while payment of 19 months’ arrears was expected to begin in federal institutions this August.

“This is an act of deceit and a breach of trust. The Specialist Allowance for SR1 remains unpaid,” he said.

He also expressed concern over the state government’s position that arrears are not paid without express approval from the governor, saying officials were refusing to pay the shortfall in salary and advancement arrears owed to affected LASUTH-ARD members.

“We need to state categorically that this is a shortfall in salary for some of our members and it needs to be paid.

“We remain open to dialogue but will not compromise on the welfare of their members. We appealed to Governor Sanwo-Olu to personally intervene and ensure the matter is resolved in the interest of fairness, equity, and quality healthcare delivery in Lagos State,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Lagos State branch, has expressed concern with the warning strike by resident doctors at the teaching hospital.

Their fears is that any industrial action could escalate into a wider healthcare disruption if urgent steps were not taken.

Speaking with Omolara Ojo, a patient at the hospital, on the possible implications of doctors’ strike if the government fails to respond after the seven-day ultimatum, she said doctors’ welfare should be taken seriously.

“If they are entitled to something, I think the government should respond on time,” she said.

She added that doctors often embark on strike action when they feel their welfare needs are not being addressed, noting that patients are usually the ones who suffer the consequences.

“The last time they went on strike, we all knew what we faced. So, the government should attend to them and resolve these issues once and for all,” she said.