The doctors’ strike cast a pall of gloom over Maitama District Hospital and other government hospitals in Abuja on Tuesday, May 6 as patients waited wearily for hours, their frustration and anxiety growing with each unanswered call.
A visit to the maternity ward at Maitama District Hospital by Persecondnews correspondents painted a vivid picture of the disruption.
Pregnant women, seeking vital antenatal care, encountered significant delays, the overwhelmed nurses struggling to provide care amidst the striking doctors’ absence.
In an interview with Persecondnews, Mrs. Mabel Odion, one of the pregnant women, expressed deep frustration about the poor service and the exorbitant hospital fees they were being asked to pay.
She said: “Just put yourself in my shoes as a pregnant woman. My tummy is constantly aching and unbearable, and I have to wait hours to see a nurse, someone I did not even come here to see in the first place.
“Then there is the increase in medication costs after being delayed here, and you still have to go to the pharmacy unit, only to find out that the prices have doubled.”
Terhemba Johnson, another patient, who had been waiting tirelessly in the Family Medicine Ward, said that if he had been informed about the strike, he would not have come to the hospital in the first place.
He said: “These government hospitals are the only ones affordable for the poor masses. But when the poor masses come for treatment, they are either faced with unannounced doctors’ strikes or sudden hikes in fees.
“I came here expecting to pay N1200 for consultation. Do you know how much I just paid? N2500! That is more than a 100% increase. What exactly is the government going to give as a reason for this new burden?
“The increase is not just in the consultation fee; fees for tests, operations, and even medication are the worst.”
At the payment counter, Persecondnews reporters learnt of significant fee increases: emergency ward consultation had risen to N4,700 from N3,500, pediatrics to N2,700 from N1,500, and family medicine to N2,000 from N1,200.
While going round the hospital, this reporter witnessed a distressing scene: an unconscious man lay in a car’s back seat as his frantically crying wife begged for entry.
Tragically, security guards at the gate turned them away, citing the ongoing doctors’ strike and directing them to another hospital.
Adding to the heartbreaking scenes, a woman with severe burns across half her face was also turned away due to the strike. Her distress was evident as she was compelled to seek medical attention elsewhere.
Addressing the substantial price increases and the doctors’ strike, Mr. Garuba, the Head of Servicom at Maitama District Hospital, stated that the rise in consultation fees and other charges was a direct consequence of the recent surge in the hospital’s electricity tariff.
Concerning the strike, Mr. Garuba clarified that it is a three-day warning strike, commencing on May 6th and scheduled to conclude at midnight on Thursday, May 8th, contingent upon government intervention and communication with the striking doctors.
“Doctors are being owed, with some having their salaries cut in half, so they have decided to embark on a three-day warning strike. If their salaries are not paid, they will proceed with an indefinite strike,” he said.
He dismissed the claim that the strike was impromptu, stating that a circular announcing the strike had been issued a week ago.
He also noted that the hospital fee increase had been announced in advance, with a specified start date of May 1.
He said: “This is a partial strike because patients can still receive some care without all doctors being present. Some doctors are here working, and we have patients already admitted. If all doctors refused to come, who would take care of them?.
“If the government attends to their concerns, the strike will stop immediately.”
When Persecondnews visited Gwarinpa General Hospital, the usually crowded facility was remarkably quiet.
Unlike the Maitama District Hospital, which began its strike on Tuesday, Gwarinpa Hospital started its own on Monday.
A woman, who declined to give her name, said she was caring for her son in the emergency ward and expressed concern that they had not seen a doctor since Monday morning.
She said: “Look around you. On a normal day, the space we are sitting in would be occupied by patients – there is no way we would find a seat.
“Since Monday, I have not seen any doctors. We are being attended to by nurses, and while they are doing a good job, you know there is a difference when a doctor is treating your loved one.
“Regarding the price increase for medication, I overheard my son complaining to his sister about the higher costs. Honestly, I do not know the specifics because they keep the details from me.”
A nurse, who spoke to Persecondnews on condition of anonymity, urged the media to help amplify the issue, noting that the general public remains unaware of the strike’s impact.
She said: “You should please speak up for us because we are exhausted. If it is this bad with just the doctors on strike, imagine what would happen if the nurses joined them – the condition of these patients would be dire.”
In an interview with Mr. Salifu Emmanuel Okoh, Assistant Head of Servicom at Gwarinpa General Hospital, he also explained that the recent increase in certain hospital charges was due to a hike in electricity fees.
Okoh said that although the government granted them a 5% reduction in electricity payments, the bill remains substantial, so they had to explore alternative ways to generate revenue.
He said: “Even with the government’s 5% reduction in electricity costs, the bill remains overwhelming. Imagine telling a patient in the middle of surgery that the lights are off because we cannot pay the bill – it is unthinkable.
“Moreover, being in Band B means we do not have a reliable power supply, so we have to burn fuel daily to augment. But where will the fuel money come from?”
Okoh clarified that the increase in consultation fees are limited to specific departments only.
He said: “For example, there is a slight increase for diabetes patients due to regular blood sugar checks and other services. Instead of paying N1,000, they are now paying N4,500.
“For GOPD, the fee remains N2,400, and pediatrics is N700, with appointments costing N1,000.
“For the maternity ward, we have added a small fee due to additional tests like urine analysis. Previously, patients paid N1,000, but now it is N2,000. This change streamlines the process, eliminating the need for multiple payments and receipts.
“The emergency unit consultation fee is N4,500 due to additional services. This includes a consultancy fee of N1,000, a card fee of N1,500, and another N2,000 for further services.”
Okoh attributed the hospital’s near-empty state to issues with staff compensation, adding that some doctors received partial payments, while others had their salaries cut, and some were not paid at all.
He said: “They have withheld the salaries of our Managing Director and Head of Accounts, and mine is also being withheld.
“They have withheld the salaries of doctors, who are essentially the lifeblood of the nation. If you visit government hospitals across the FCT, you wil notice that it is a widespread issue.
“Imagine a doctor living in Asokoro who spends N15,000 on fuel daily to commute to work, and yet you refuse to pay their salary. The salary issue affected everyone here – nurses, pharmacists, lab technicians – basically, everybody.
“They are claiming that most of us were absent during the exercise, but that is not true. We have evidence to prove it – we provided photocopies and still have the originals. All of us were present during the verification exercise, underwent screening, and completed all requirements.”
When Persecondnews contacted Mr. Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication and Social Media to the FCT Minister, he did not answer calls or respond to messages sent to his phone as of the time of this report.
Persecondnews recalls that the Association of Resident Doctors(ARD) in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, announced the start of a three-day warning strike on Monday, May 5, with effect from Tuesday, May 6, 2025.
The doctors decided to embark on the strike following an emergency congress held on Monday at Asokoro District Hospital in Abuja.
Speaking after the meeting, the President of FCT ARD, Dr. George Ebong, said the strike became necessary following the sack of 127 health workers by the FCT Civil Service Commission last Friday without due diligence.
He described the sack as inhumane and illegal, demanding their immediate reinstatement and payment of their April salaries.
Also, he demanded the immediate resignation of the chairman of FCT-CSC, Emeka Ezeh.
Dr. Ebong, speaking for the doctors, warned that if their demands were not met by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike and the FCT Administration within three days, they will embark on an indefinite strike, effectively shutting down hospitals in the nation’s capital.
Leave a comment