FCT Senate Panel Begs Striking Doctors to Resume Work, Promise Action

The Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Councils and Ancillary Matters has appealed to members of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), FCT chapter, to immediately suspend their ongoing strike, promising to take their grievances directly to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike.

At an emergency meeting held on Thursday in Abuja, the committee, led by its chairman, Senator David Jimkuta (Taraba South), engaged the leadership of the striking doctors in an effort to end the industrial action, which has paralysed health services across the territory.

Senator Jimkuta acknowledged the grave consequences of the strike on patients and healthcare delivery.
“We are pleading with you, please return to work and continue saving lives. I will personally meet with the Minister tomorrow. I am confident that something concrete will come out of it. We cannot stand by while people die because doctors are on strike,” he said.

The committee chairman commended the resident doctors for what he described as a selfless fight, stressing that their agitation was geared towards strengthening the collapsing healthcare system rather than personal enrichment.

The FCT chapter of NARD had, last week, embarked on an indefinite strike over a backlog of unpaid salary arrears dating back to 2023, unexplained deductions from allowances, and the government’s failure to upgrade qualified resident doctors who had completed specialist training but were still being paid as medical officers.

In its resolutions, the Senate committee pledged to urgently escalate the doctors’ demands to the FCT Minister, while also calling for a tripartite negotiation involving the National Assembly, the FCT health administration, and representatives of the striking doctors.

The lawmakers expressed optimism that a compromise would be reached if all stakeholders committed to genuine dialogue.