Doctors in the service of the Kwara State Government on Thursday commenced a seven-day warning strike over alleged salary deductions for the state's health insurance scheme.

Their grievances also include alleged unpaid allowances, staffing shortages and other unresolved welfare concerns.

The industrial action involves members of the Kwara Doctors Forum, comprising the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), the National Association of Government General Medical and Dental Practitioners (NAGGMDP) and the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), KWASUTH.

Speaking at a news conference in Ilorin, MDCAN Chairman, Dr Adeola Olasinde, said the strike followed the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum issued to the state government, which ended on October 14.

He said the decision was reached at the forum's congress on October 14 after the government failed to address the doctors' demands, including the sudden deduction of two per cent of their salaries for the Kwara Health Insurance Scheme (KHIS), also known as KwaraCare.

Olasinde demanded an immediate reversal of the deduction, payment of approved accoutrement allowance arrears for 2025 and 2026, and implementation of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), the salary scale for medical and dental practitioners in government service.

The doctors also called for the recruitment of house officers, medical officers, resident doctors and consultants across public health facilities to address staffing gaps.

Other demands include the renovation of officers' quarters in teaching hospitals and the establishment of the Governing Board of the Kwara State University Teaching Hospital (KWASUTH) in accordance with its enabling law.

Clarifying their position on the health insurance scheme, Olasinde said the doctors were not opposed to health insurance or efforts to expand access to affordable healthcare.

But he insisted that the scheme must operate transparently and with the confidence of contributors.

He said the deductions, introduced without prior agreement or satisfactory clarification on the management of the funds, had raised serious concerns among the doctors.

"The management of public health insurance funds must be subject to clearly defined institutional controls and collective oversight.

"There should also be transparent financial procedures, independent audit and appropriate legislative and regulatory supervision," he said.

Olasinde called for the involvement of relevant stakeholders in the formulation, governance, monitoring and periodic review of the scheme, saying workers' contributions must translate into accessible and quality healthcare.

He apologised to patients and members of the public for the inconvenience the strike might cause. He described the action as a reluctant decision taken after dialogue failed to resolve the dispute.

"The warning strike is not our preferred course of action but is adopted reluctantly after dialogue failed," he said.

The MDCAN chairman appealed to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and other relevant authorities to intervene urgently and address the doctors' demands.

However, the Medical Director of KWASUTH, Dr Ahmed Abdul-Qadir, appealed to the striking doctors to return to work.

He warned that prolonged disruption could expose patients to avoidable risks.

Abdul-Qadir said the hospital was operating at full capacity, with critically ill patients in its wards and Intensive Care Unit, including women who had recently undergone surgery.

He described the situation as unfortunate and urged the medical associations to resolve the dispute quickly in the interest of patients.

The medical director expressed confidence in the state government's commitment to workers' welfare, particularly in the health sector, and appealed to the doctors to resume duty to ensure uninterrupted healthcare delivery.