Resident doctors at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) have issued the Lagos State Government a seven-day ultimatum to resolve outstanding issues concerning their allowances, salary shortfalls and promotion arrears.
The doctors, under the Association of Resident Doctors, LASUTH (LASUTH-ARD), warned that failure to meet their demands within the period could trigger further industrial action and worsen tensions in the state’s health sector.
The association made its position known on Thursday at a press briefing in Lagos, where it outlined three immediate demands: implementation of the Specialist Allowance for Grade Level 14 resident doctors, payment of arrears of the allowance and settlement of outstanding salary and promotion arrears.
President of LASUTH-ARD, Dr Gabriel Akerele, expressed disappointment over what he described as conflicting information from government officials regarding the Specialist Allowance.
Akerele said the association had been assured that the allowance for Senior Registrar 1 doctors had been included in the Professional Allowance Table approved by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
He said the doctors became concerned after discovering that the allowance was absent from their August salaries.
According to him, the association had met with the governor on July 17, when Sanwo-Olu reviewed and approved the file containing the Professional Allowance Table.
“We were told that the Specialist Allowance for SR1 had been incorporated into the Professional Allowance Table and that it had been sent to Mr Governor for approval,” Akerele said.
He added that the subsequent omission of the allowance from the August salary prompted the association to seek clarification from government officials, only to receive a different explanation.
The LASUTH-ARD president said the situation was particularly frustrating because resident doctors in federal institutions had been receiving the allowance since February 2026, while some state governments, including Osun, Delta and Enugu, had also commenced payment.
He noted that the Federal Government had also committed to paying 19 months’ arrears of professional allowances.
Akerele explained that the Professional Allowance Table covers various entitlements, including Specialist Allowance, Call Duty Allowance, Teaching Allowance and Rural Posting Allowance.
He argued that Grade Level 14 doctors should not be excluded from the Specialist Allowance, particularly when their counterparts in federal hospitals were already receiving it.
The doctors also raised concerns over outstanding promotion-related salary arrears.
Akerele said some members whose promotions took effect in July 2025 did not begin receiving the corresponding financial benefits until November, leaving arrears for September and October unpaid.
He said repeated appeals to the relevant authorities had yet to resolve the issue.
“These doctors have earned the promotion and are owed by right. We have written several letters, but we keep being told that arrears cannot be paid without express approval from the governor,” he said.
The association said it had engaged officials from the Ministries of Health and Establishments and Training, the Public Service Office and the State Treasury Office over the unresolved payments.
Akerele appealed to Governor Sanwo-Olu to personally intervene, expressing concern that the governor might not have been aware that the Specialist Allowance was eventually excluded from the approved file.
“We want Mr Governor to be aware of what is happening because he may believe that he has already signed and approved everything, not knowing that the Specialist Allowance was not captured,” he said.
While insisting that the doctors were not seeking preferential treatment, the association said government had a responsibility to honour legitimate entitlements due to its workers.
It maintained that failure to address the issues could undermine the morale of doctors and ultimately affect healthcare delivery.
The doctors said they remained open to dialogue but warned that they would consider further action if the government failed to respond within seven days.
The association, however, commended the Lagos State Government for implementing the Professional Allowance for doctors and paying Medical Residency Training Funds.
It also acknowledged the contributions of the First Lady, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, and Deputy Governor, Dr Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, towards healthcare delivery and maintaining industrial harmony in the state.
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