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From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi
The Association of Resident Doctors, Benue State University Teaching Hospital (ARD BSUTH), has appealed to the State Governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia to come to the rescue of the institution with timely resolution of the issues affecting them to enable healthcare services resume at the hospital without any further delay.
The call was made in a press statement signed by the Dr Kawen Pededoo and Dr Msonter Anzaa, President General and Secretary of the association respectively, following their ongoing strike, which began on December 1, 2025.
The strike is a culmination of unresolved issues between the association and the Benue State Government, as well as the hospital’s management.
Key demands by the association include the payment of 18 months’ Consolidated Medical Salary Scale (CONMESS) arrears, which accrued after the implementation of the revised salary structure in June 2023, immediate cessation of pension deductions from doctors’ salaries until the full remittance of previous deductions is made up to date.
The association is also demanding a refund of excess tax deductions made from doctors’ salaries in November and December 2025, as well as renovation of the doctors’ quarters, which have deteriorated over the years, and the establishment of a security post in the doctors’ quarters to increase surveillance.
The association is also requesting that the entry level for new doctors be raised to CONMESS 3/6 to attract and retain doctors following gross shortage of medical doctors in the country.
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The President lamented that while the strike has resulted in the disruption of healthcare services in the hospital, leaving patients to seek medical attention elsewhere, he added that the move and other associated incentives, have directly affected ARD BSUTH, as some of their members have left BSUTH to sister facilities in the state and the region.
“Such exodus of doctors exacerbates the already-existing shortage of manpower, increases the workload, thereby worsening burnout, increasing the likelihood of medical errors, negatively affecting patient care and ultimately leading to the exit of even more doctors from the facility.
Pededoo, who noted that there are new approvals on their welfare which have not also been attended, to expressed the association’s commitment to caring for the health of the people, said they cannot continue to provide services without addressing the grievances that led to the strike.
He said “The economic policies introduced by the Federal Government in 2023 have had severe adverse effects on the income of salary earners. The cost of living has gone up far higher than doctors’ salaries can afford. Also, the purchasing power of the national currency has sunken.
“The cumulative effect is that our members are now merely struggling to attain the same quality of life they lived prior to these reforms, despite having worked longer, risen to higher grade levels, and earning supposedly higher salaries.”
The association acknowledged the favourable disposition of the state Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, towards the welfare of doctors and other healthcare professionals in the state and appealed to him to intervene in resolving the issues and ensuring the resumption of healthcare services in the hospital.
