The Association of Resident Doctors, Federal Capital Territory (ARD-FCT), has urged the government to urgently address rising challenges in the FCT health sector, warning that continued neglect could cause systemic collapse.

At its third quarter ordinary general meeting (OGM) on Thursday night in Abuja, the association advised urgent intervention in manpower shortages, non-functional equipment, poor working conditions, and unpaid staff allowances.

Speaking to journalists, ARD-FCT president George Ebong, and other executive members, described the FCT health system as a long-standing systemic failure requiring comprehensive and immediate reform.

“Our hospitals are not even 20th-century compliant. X-ray machines have been non-functional for years.

“Dialysis patients are turned away due to consumable shortages. Even the few working machines frequently break down,” Mr Ebong said.

He stressed that doctors in the FCT were under immense pressure, frequently covering multiple departments.

“This mental and physical overload has led some colleagues to rely on antidepressants just to stay functional,” he stated.

Mr Ebong advised the FCT Administration to prioritise healthcare workforce development.

He noted that since the last major recruitment in 2011, many doctors had left due to retirement, death, or emigration without replacement.

“In some hospitals, one doctor handles up to 60 patients overnight,” Mr Ebong stated.  “This situation is neither safe for the patients nor sustainable for the healthcare workers responsible for their care.”

He also raised concerns over unpaid salaries, delayed promotions, and underpayment of promoted staff, urging the government to swiftly boost healthcare worker morale and restore service efficiency.

Mr Ebong further advised that decision-making must include frontline health professionals.

He noted that funds were often spent on less critical projects, while urgent needs like supplies and staffing were overlooked.

To underscore the urgency, the association gave the FCT administration a one-week deadline to begin meaningful reforms, especially on staffing and welfare, warning of a one-week warning strike if unmet.

Responding at the meeting, Adedolapo Fasawe, mandate secretary for health services and environment secretariat, assured that the FCT minister’s administration remained committed to strengthening healthcare delivery across the capital.

She said appointment letters for 60 house officers, 70 pharmacists, and 60 lab scientists would soon be issued.

“Outstanding allowances are also being processed alongside efforts to improve health insurance and drug supply,” Ms Fasawe added.

(NAN)