UCH Resident Doctors Threaten Indefinite Strike Over Lingering Power Crisis

Resident doctors at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, have threatened to embark on an indefinite strike over a prolonged power outage that has disrupted hospital operations and medical training.

The Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) warned that if the hospital management and relevant authorities fail to resolve the electricity challenges, the strike could begin immediately after the expiration of a 21-day ultimatum, which commenced on March 7, 2026.

The doctors say the recurring blackouts have severely affected patient care, forced the suspension of surgeries, compromised laboratory services, and disrupted essential hospital operations.

A prior five-day warning strike from March 2–6 did not yield a satisfactory response from management. This is a matter of patient safety and our professional responsibility. If power supply is not restored and maintained, we will have no option but to take further action,” the ARD stated. UCH, one of Nigeria’s leading teaching hospitals, has faced chronic power supply issues over the past few years, often linked to disputes with electricity providers and unpaid bills.

Past outages have sparked public protests and interventions from government authorities. Hospital unions have already expressed concern over the impact of the blackouts on critical services, warning that failure to act could escalate unrest among healthcare workers and further compromise the quality of care at the facility.

Officials from the Federal Ministry of Health and the Oyo State government have yet to issue statements regarding the ongoing power crisis.

As the ultimatum period draws to a close, all eyes are on UCH management and government authorities to resolve the power issues and prevent a full-scale industrial action that could disrupt medical services across the region.