The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Lagos State Branch, has warned that doctors may soon withdraw their services if the state government and hospital authorities fail to address growing grievances over unpaid salaries, arbitrary deductions, and poor welfare conditions.

In a communiqué issued on Sunday after an Emergency General Meeting held virtually on August 15, 2025, the association accused the Lagos State Government of “subjecting doctors to financial hardship” and faulted the management of Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) for “neglecting doctors’ welfare.”

NMA Lagos Chairman, Dr. Saheed Babajide Kehinde, said doctors would not continue to work under such conditions, stressing that “enough is enough.”

The association said it fully supports the Medical Guild’s 21-day ultimatum to the government, which ends on August 25, warning that a solidarity strike could begin in September if their demands are not met.

The dispute stems from unauthorized deductions reportedly made from doctors’ salaries in April and July. Although April’s deductions were refunded, July’s have yet to be returned, prompting a three-day warning strike between July 28 and 30. The Guild is demanding an immediate refund and full payment of August salaries.

“If by August 25 these issues remain unresolved, the Medical Guild will down tools indefinitely. NMA Lagos will join in solidarity two weeks later if the government continues to ignore us,” the communiqué stated.

Doctors at LUTH have also raised alarm over the absence of call duty meals for more than five years.

During a February 2025 meeting with the Chief Medical Director (CMD), Prof. AbdulWasiu Adeyemo, the CMD reportedly proposed that doctors should purchase meals at subsidized rates, even while on call duty.

“We will not accept a situation where doctors on 24-hour call duties are denied meals and told to buy food. This is inhumane and unacceptable,” Dr. Kehinde said.

The association said the matter would be revisited in three weeks after further deliberations with the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) in LUTH.

Another issue causing disquiet is the non-payment of skipping arrears to some doctors in LUTH, even though such arrears have been settled in other federal hospitals.

The CMD had earlier directed the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), LUTH chapter, to submit a list of affected doctors. But the process has dragged on, leaving doctors frustrated.

The NMA insisted that “workers deserve their wages irrespective of when the arrears were incurred” and demanded that payments be made without further delay.

The association called on Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, to urgently intervene and resolve the crises before they snowball into a full-scale shutdown of the health system.

“We urge the Honourable Commissioner for Health to engage the relevant MDAs intensively and passionately. Doctors are being pushed to the wall. This is about fairness, justice, and survival of the health system,” the communiqué concluded. (The Nation)