Doctors employed by the Kwara State Government have commenced a seven-day warning strike over disputed health insurance deductions, unpaid allowances and other welfare concerns.
The strike involves members of the Kwara Doctors Forum, comprising the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), the National Association of Government General Medical and Dental Practitioners (NAGGMDP) and the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), KWASUTH.
Speaking at a news conference in Ilorin on Thursday, Adeola Olasinde, MDCAN chairman, said the strike followed the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum issued to the state government on October 1.
He said the decision was reached at a congress on October 14 after the government failed to address the doctors’ demands.
Olasinde said the doctors were particularly concerned about the deduction of two per cent of their salaries for the Kwara Health Insurance Scheme, also known as KwaraCare, without prior agreement or satisfactory clarification on the management of the funds.
The doctors are demanding that the government reverse the deductions and pay outstanding accoutrement allowances approved for 2025 and 2026.
They are also seeking the implementation of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), the recruitment of more medical personnel and the renovation of house officers’ quarters in teaching hospitals.
“The government must also recruit house officers, medical officers, resident doctors and consultants across healthcare facilities,” Olasinde said.
The forum also called for the establishment of the governing board of the Kwara State University Teaching Hospital (KWASUTH) in accordance with its enabling law.
Olasinde clarified that the doctors were not opposed to health insurance or efforts to expand access to affordable healthcare.
He said, however, that a scheme funded through salary deductions must be managed transparently and with the confidence of workers contributing to it.
“The sudden deduction of two per cent of our salaries without prior agreement and satisfactory clarification on the processes and management of the contributed funds leaves us in serious doubt,” he said.
He called for clear institutional controls, collective oversight, transparent financial procedures, independent audits and appropriate legislative and regulatory supervision of the scheme.
The MDCAN chairman also advocated the involvement of relevant stakeholders in the formulation, governance, monitoring and periodic review of the health insurance scheme.
According to him, workers’ contributions should translate into accessible and quality healthcare for beneficiaries.
Olasinde apologised for any inconvenience the strike might cause patients and members of the public, describing the industrial action as a reluctant decision after dialogue failed.
“The warning strike is not our preferred course of action but is adopted reluctantly after dialogue failed,” he said.
He appealed to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and relevant authorities to intervene and resolve the dispute.
Reacting to the strike, Ahmed Abdul-Qadir, medical director of KWASUTH, urged the doctors to return to work to prevent avoidable loss of lives.
Abdul-Qadir expressed confidence in the state government’s commitment to workers’ welfare, particularly in the health sector, and appealed to the doctors to resume duty to ensure uninterrupted healthcare delivery.
