The Association of Resident Doctors, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (ARD-UITH), has lamented that some members struggle to pay their children’s school fees and maintain their vehicles due to poor remuneration.
President of the association, Dr. Monsuru Awodun, stated this on Monday in Ilorin at a news conference held as part of activities for the 42nd Annual General Meeting and Sir Ademola Aderibigbe Scientific Conference.
The theme of the 2025 scientific conference is “Leveraging Medical Residency Training as a Catalyst for Healthcare Policy Reforms in Nigeria.”
Speaking on the ongoing nationwide strike, Awodun said doctors in Nigeria are poorly paid compared to their counterparts in other African and European countries. He added that the strike could have been averted if the government had ensured a functional healthcare system.
“If the system is working, we will not go on strike. There are doctors who cannot pay school fees for their children or maintain their cars. The healthcare sector is going down. We had the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, and the total, indefinite and comprehensive strike action continues,” he said.
He described ARD members as foot soldiers committed to improving the healthcare sector for the benefit of Nigerians and medical professionals.
Awodun said UITH faces a severe manpower shortage, noting that many tertiary hospitals in the country are grappling with an alarming decline in the number of resident doctors.
“Many departments are functioning with less than half of the required workforce. The growing patient load continues to increase, while the number of doctors available to attend to them keeps decreasing. The situation has stretched our members to their limits and is negatively affecting service delivery, training and patient outcomes,” he said.
He warned that many skilled resident doctors are resigning in large numbers, with even more migrating abroad in search of better working conditions.
“The rate at which our members are leaving is unprecedented and should be a source of national concern,” he said.
Awodun listed poor remuneration, irregular salary payments for newly employed members and low hazard allowances as critical issues that need urgent government intervention. He also criticized the recent downgrading of the membership certificate, which he said undermines years of rigorous postgraduate training.
He added that doctors are increasingly experiencing fatigue and burnout, heightening the risk of medical errors and affecting their physical and mental well-being. He called for the implementation of safe and reasonable call-hour policies to protect both doctors and patients.
Despite the challenges, Awodun noted that ARD-UITH had recorded notable achievements, including mobilizing over N70 million to complete the construction of 11 self-contained apartments for members and medical students.
“We advocated for and secured the employment of 48 new resident doctors by the hospital management to reduce workload and curb burnout among our members,” he said.
The ARD-UITH president added that the association had organized the maiden edition of its entrepreneurship seminar to equip members with practical skills for financial stability.
He also stated that the doctors provided free medical care and conducted surgical outreach programmes for more than 700 beneficiaries in Owu-Isin (Isin Local Government Area) and Ajase-Ipo (Irepodun Local Government Area).
