The usually busy corridors of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH) have fallen silent as resident doctors commenced a seven-day warning strike over what they described as long-standing welfare neglect and salary injustice.
The action, which began on Monday, October 6, 2025, followed an emergency general meeting of the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), UUTH chapter.
In a communiqué issued after the meeting and made available to journalists in Uyo on Wednesday, the association said the decision came after repeated appeals to the hospital management failed to bring any results. The communiqué was jointly signed by the ARD President, Dr Promise Jacob, and the General Secretary, Dr Enam-Eti Akpan.
“We’ve Waited Too Long” — Doctors Lament
The aggrieved resident doctors outlined a list of unresolved demands they say have crippled morale and productivity. Among them are:
1. Implementation of the correct CONMESS entry level for newly employed resident doctors and reissuance of appointment letters to reflect the adjusted level.
2. Payment of salary arrears and shortfalls owed to some residents since 2023.
3. Upgrading of members to their appropriate grade levels with corresponding arrears.
The communiqué partly read:
“The 3 members affected by failed biometric capture should be immediately paid via the GIFMIS platform pending correction on the IPPIS platform.
Payment of salary arrears owed 2023 batch of employed residents.
Urgent employment of additional resident doctors across all the departments to address manpower shortage and mitigate workplace burnout.Renovation and proper maintenance of the House Officer’s Quarters and Call Rooms.”
The association also stressed the urgent need to employ additional resident doctors across all departments to cushion the effect of staff shortages that have led to burnout and compromised patient care.
Patients Bear the Brunt
The strike has left many patients stranded, with several wards operating skeletal services. Outpatient clinics have been shut, and emergency services are running on minimal manpower.
According to reports from local journalists, the hospital management is yet to make an official statement on the matter, though insiders say efforts are underway to prevent a full-scale shutdown.
The ARD said it will reconvene another Emergency General Meeting at the end of the seven-day warning strike to assess management’s response and decide the next line of action.
The Bigger Picture
The development at UUTH mirrors a growing wave of discontent across Nigeria’s healthcare institutions, where resident doctors continue to decry delayed payments, poor working conditions, and inadequate facilities.
Healthcare unions have repeatedly warned that without urgent government intervention, the brain drain and burnout crisis among young doctors could deepen. Definetly endangering the future of public healthcare.
As the strike enters its critical days, haunting questions echo through Uyo’s deserted hospital wards:
Who cares for those who care for others?
But even as the doctors cry out for justice, another voice whispers through the silence. It is the voice of the patients, waiting in pain and uncertainty.
Where is the compassion that forms part of UUTH’s cherished creed; “Learning, Compassion, and Service”?
As the wards grow quieter and hope grows thinner, many wonder: in the battle for fairness, who fights for the lives left hanging between duty and despair?