Plateau Health Workers Issue Seven-Day Ultimatum to Government Over Pay, Threaten Strike

Resident doctors and other medical practitioners in Plateau State have issued a fresh seven-day ultimatum to the state government, warning of a possible strike if their demands over salary and welfare are not met.

The ultimatum was conveyed in separate statements by the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) of the Plateau State Specialist Hospital and the National Association of Government General Medical and Dental Practitioners of Nigeria (NAGGMDP), Plateau State chapter.

In a letter dated April 20, 2026, addressed to the state’s Head of Service through the hospital’s Chief Medical Director, the resident doctors expressed frustration over the government’s failure to act on a request first made in December 2025 for a review of doctors’ remuneration in line with the current national salary structure.

The association warned that the delay has triggered an exodus of doctors from the state, further straining an already overstretched healthcare workforce.

The letter, signed by ARD President Dr Elizabeth Kassem Azi and Secretary Dr Ritbul Jacob, stated: “This inaction from your end has led to exit of doctors from the state and ultimately shrinking of an initially strained workforce with growing dissatisfaction among our members.”

The doctors said they cannot sustain industrial harmony beyond the seven-day ultimatum, which expires on Monday, April 27, 2026. “Unless concrete actions with reasonable timelines are met… we shall be compelled to withdraw our services thereafter,” the letter read.

Similarly, the NAGGMDP, in a notice dated April 16, 2026, lamented the non-implementation of the corrected Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) and other approved allowances as released by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission.

The association’s demands include full implementation of the corrected CONMESS salary structure, full payment of all entitled allowances, and implementation of CONMESS 7 for all members.

The NAGGMDP letter, addressed to Governor Caleb Mutfwang and signed by Chairman Dr Dyelbak Luka Waden and Secretary Dr Wala Nantip Lohbut, warned that failure to address these demands within seven days could lead to industrial action.

As of the time of this report, the Plateau State Government had not issued an official response to the ultimatum.