...Demand Urgent Professional Allowance Circular, Warn Of Fresh Industrial Disharmony
· The Association of Resident Doctors, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH-ARD), has issued the Lagos State Government a seven-day ultimatum to resolve the non-implementation of Specialist Allowance for Grade Level 14 resident doctors, alongside unpaid salary shortfalls and advancement arrears.
The association warned that failure
to meet its demands within the deadline could trigger further action and
renewed industrial disharmony in Lagos State’s health sector.
Specifically, the doctors alleged exclusion of Senior Registrar
1 specialist allowance from approved professional allowance table, demand
payment of arrears and outstanding salary shortfalls.
Speaking during a press briefing in
Lagos on Thursday, President of LASUTH-ARD, Dr Akerele Alaba Gabriel, said the
association was compelled to raise the matter publicly over the welfare and
outstanding demands of resident doctors at the teaching hospital.
Gabriel recalled that LASUTH-ARD
embarked on a three-day warning strike on June 15, 2026, over several demands,
including the immediate resumption of construction of resident doctors’
quarters within LASUTH.
The association urged the Lagos
State Government to urgently release the circular and implement the Professional
Allowance Table (PAT) for all state-employed doctors.
It also demanded payment of the
Specialist Allowance for Grade Level 14 resident doctors designated Senior
Registrar 1 (SR1), alongside outstanding salary shortfalls and advancement
arrears owed affected members.
According to him, following the
warning strike, the association held meetings with the Lagos State Government,
which agreed that the Specialist Allowance for Grade Level 14 resident doctors
at LASUTH would be included in the Professional Allowance Table for the
Governor’s approval.
He identified a July 17, 2026
meeting with Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, led by the
Guild Chairman, Dr Oluwole Olusanya, as particularly significant.
Gabriel said the Governor, during
the meeting, graciously approved implementation of the Professional Allowance
Table for resident doctors and other doctors in Lagos State.
However, the association said it was
now confronted with a position that contradicted what its officials had been
led to believe before and after the Governor’s approval.
According to LASUTH-ARD, officials
had represented that the Specialist Allowance for SR1 doctors had already been
incorporated into the Professional Allowance Table submitted to the Governor
for approval.
The association said it subsequently
confirmed that the allowance was not captured in the approved table, with the
August salary recently paid to its members failing to reflect the Specialist
Allowance.
Gabriel described the development as
an act of deceit and a breach of trust, insisting that the Specialist Allowance
for SR1 resident doctors remained unpaid.
The association further stated that
the allowance had already been paid to counterparts in federal institutions
since February 2026, while some states, including Osun, Delta and Enugu, had
also implemented the payment.
It added that implementation of
payment of 19 months’ arrears was expected to commence at federal institutions
in August.
On the separate issue of salary
shortfalls and advancement arrears, LASUTH-ARD said the Lagos State
Government’s position was that arrears would not be paid without express
approval from the Governor.
The association said officials had
relied on that position to refuse payment of the shortfall in salary and
advancement arrears to affected members, despite the members having earned the
promotion involved.
Gabriel maintained that the
outstanding payments constituted salary shortfalls owed to affected doctors and
should therefore be paid.
The LASUTH-ARD President said the
association vehemently condemned the developments, particularly what it
described as the exclusion of SR1 doctors from the specialist allowance and the
denial of promotion-related arrears to deserving members.
He said such treatment was unjust,
demoralising and counterproductive to healthcare delivery in Lagos State,
stressing that the association could not remain silent while its members continued
to experience financial and career stagnation.
The association consequently
demanded three immediate actions: implementation and payment of the Specialist
Allowance to Grade Level 14 resident doctors at LASUTH. Others are, payment of
all arrears of the allowance; and immediate payment of salary shortfalls and
advancement arrears to all affected LASUTH-ARD members.
It gave the Lagos State Government
seven days to resolve the issues, warning that failure to meet the demands
would leave the association with no option but to take further action.
LASUTH-ARD, however, appealed
directly to Governor Sanwo-Olu to intervene personally and ensure resolution of
the issues in the interest of fairness, equity and quality healthcare delivery
in Lagos State.
Gabriel said the association
remained committed to dialogue but would not compromise the welfare of its
members.
The
association also acknowledged the Governor’s payment of Medical Residency
Training Funds and implementation of professional allowances for doctors, while
commending the First Lady, Dr Mrs Claudiana Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, and Deputy
Governor, Dr Kadiri Obafemi Hamzat, for their contributions to healthcare and industrial
harmony.
