Doctors at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, have initiated an indefinite strike. The industrial action, organized by the Association of Resident Doctors, is in response to the state government and hospital management’s failure to address their long-standing requests. This follows a previous month-long strike that was suspended on April 8 to allow time for negotiations.
Three months after the suspension, the doctors issued a three-week ultimatum to the hospital’s Chief Medical Director, Professor Olawale Olakulehin, on July 8. The letter, titled “Re: Notice of industrial action,” outlined the demands that remained unfulfilled. While acknowledging some progress, such as the payment of upgrade arrears and a refund of fees for examinations and update courses, the association expressed regret that other critical issues had not been resolved.
These unresolved issues included the full implementation of the new minimum wage and its associated arrears from January 2025, the disbursement of the Medical Residency Training Fund, and the payment of accoutrement allowances. The doctors also called for the recruitment of more resident doctors and the renovation of call rooms, warning that a failure to meet these demands by July 29, 2025, would lead to a “total and indefinite industrial action.”
A follow-up letter, dated July 28 and signed by the association’s President, Dr. Stephen Adedokun, and General Secretary, Dr. Adedapo Mustapha, confirmed that the strike would commence at 12:00 a.m. on July 29. The letter stated, “Despite an ample window of engagement granted over the past three months and three weeks, it is with deep concern that we hereby declare a total and indefinite industrial action commencing from 12:00 am, Tuesday 29th July 2025.” The association stressed that they would not resume work until “tangible and acceptable steps have been taken to address our demands.”
The primary reason for the strike is the significant pay disparity between the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital staff and other healthcare workers in the state, which has been caused by the non-implementation of the minimum wage at the hospital. This disparity has led to an exodus of doctors and has made it difficult to attract new talent, placing a greater burden on the remaining staff. The doctors also cited the failure to implement the Medical Residency Training Act/Fund and the non-payment of accoutrement allowances as key points of contention.
In a prior open letter to Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde on July 4, the doctors had warned of the hospital’s imminent collapse. They reported that the number of resident doctors had dramatically fallen from nearly 270 to fewer than 65, and they attributed this decline to a lack of government support, poor pay, and other issues. Dr. Adedokun explained that the doctors were compelled to restart their strike because the government had not kept the promises it made during the suspension of the previous industrial action.
