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, reports Daily Independent.
Specifically, the doctors alleged the exclusion of the Senior Registrar 1 specialist allowance from the approved professional allowance table, demand payment of arrears and outstanding salary shortfalls.
Speaking during a press briefing in Lagos yesterday, 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 to 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.
