The Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), has issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Lagos State Government to implement the Specialist Allowance for Grade Level 14 doctors and settle outstanding salary and promotion arrears owed to its members.
The association warned that failure to address the issues within the stipulated period could trigger further action and heighten the risk of industrial disharmony at the teaching hospital.
The ultimatum comes weeks after LASUTH resident doctors embarked on a three-day warning strike in June 2026 over unresolved welfare concerns.
Their demands included the implementation of the Professional Allowance Table (PAT) for doctors in Lagos State, payment of the Specialist Allowance for Grade Level 14 resident doctors, settlement of outstanding salary and advancement arrears, and the resumption of construction of residential quarters for doctors within LASUTH.
Following the strike, the association held a series of meetings with the state government, where it was agreed that the Specialist Allowance for Grade Level 14 resident doctors, also known as Senior Registrar 1 (SR1), would be incorporated into the Professional Allowance Table for approval by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
At a meeting with the governor on July 17, 2026, Sanwo-Olu reportedly approved the implementation of the Professional Allowance Table for resident doctors and other doctors in the state.
However, LASUTH ARD President, Dr Akerele Alaba Gabriel, said the association was disappointed to discover that the Specialist Allowance for SR1 doctors was not included in the approved table.
Gabriel said the August salaries recently paid to affected doctors did not reflect the allowance, contrary to assurances previously given by government officials.
He 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 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.”
The ARD president said the allowance was already being paid to resident doctors in federal institutions and in some states, including Osun, Delta and Enugu.
He further claimed that 19 months of arrears were expected to begin being paid to doctors in federal institutions from August.
“This is an act of deceit and a breach of trust. The Specialist Allowance for SR1 remains unpaid,” Gabriel said.
On the outstanding arrears, Gabriel faulted the state government’s position that payment required express approval from the governor, insisting that the affected doctors were owed salary shortfalls and advancement arrears.
“We need to state categorically that this is a shortfall in salary for some of our members and it needs to be paid,” he said.
Despite the disagreement, Gabriel said the association remained committed to dialogue and appealed to Governor Sanwo-Olu to intervene personally to resolve the matter.
He stressed that the welfare of medical doctors was directly linked to the quality and stability of healthcare delivery in Lagos State.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State branch of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has expressed concern over the development, warning that another industrial action by resident doctors could disrupt healthcare services at LASUTH and potentially have wider consequences.
A patient at the hospital, Omolara Ojo, also appealed to the state government to resolve the dispute before the expiration of the ultimatum.
“If they are entitled to something, I think the government should respond on time,” she said.
Ojo recalled the difficulties patients experienced during the previous strike and urged the government to address the doctors’ concerns to prevent another disruption.
“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 added.
The LASUTH ARD has therefore called on the Lagos State Government to resolve its outstanding demands within seven days to avert another disruption to medical services at the teaching hospital.