Resident doctors urge university management to fix manpower gap

Nigeria faces an acute shortage of doctors and other health workers, as many of them prefer to work abroad for better pay and living conditions.

The Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) at Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital (COOUTH) has urged the hospital management to address the doctor shortage, warning that the situation is straining services and significantly undermining patient care.

The call was made during the association’s pre-2025 Annual General Meeting and election briefing in Awka, Anambra State, where members emphasised the urgency of resolving staffing gaps ahead of the 11 December meeting.

ARD-COOUTH President Joy Okwumuo urged management to fulfil its commitment to recruit and replace consultants, resident doctors, and house officers as a practical measure to reduce workload and prevent burnout.

Nigeria faces an acute shortage of doctors and other health workers, as many of them prefer to work abroad for better pay and living conditions.

In many states in Nigeria, the few doctors in government hospitals also own and run private medical facilities.

Mrs Okwumuo noted a growing concern over the “unresolved specialist allowances owed to some resident doctors”, stressing that colleagues in other southeastern state teaching hospitals had already received theirs, which deepened frustration and widened disparities.

The association renewed its appeal to the Anambra State Government to implement the November 2025 reviewed Consolidated Medical Salary Structure specialist allowances for all resident doctors and consultants as a measure to discourage brain drain.

Members condemned the deteriorating call-room conditions, inadequate recruitment of house officers, and poor living quarters lacking water and electricity, warning that failure to address these issues would threaten morale, training quality, and overall service delivery.

The association also denounced the physical assault of a member, criticising management’s handling of the incident and warning that any future occurrence could prompt industrial action to safeguard members’ safety and dignity.

ARD-COOUTH announced plans to acquire a bus to support official engagements, improve logistics for conferences and community outreach, and enhance operational coordination, describing the initiative as a strategic investment in capacity.

Resident doctors at the COOUTH had embarked on a seven-day warning strike in September to demand better working conditions

(NAN)