By Israel Adamu, Jos
The Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) has reiterated the urgent need to address pay disparity amongst medical doctors who work in the Federal establishments and State-owned institutions to ensure a level playing ground for all members of the association.
MDCAN stated this in a communique issued in Jos, the Plateau state capital at the end of NEC meeting held in Katsina, Katsina state.
The theme and subtheme of the meeting is “Enhancing National Health Security: The Critical Role of Medical and Dental Consultants in Promoting Equity and Innovation in Nigeria’s Economically Challenging Landscape and Global Perspectives on Postgraduate Medical Career Development: An Insight on Managing the PhD/ Fellowship Dichotomy in Nigeria respectively.
The communique was jointly signed by the President Prof. Mohammad Aminu and Secretary General Prof. Daiyabu Alhaji respectively.
According to the communique, NEC further vowed to continue to press on this demand by engaging the leadership of Nigerian Governor’s Forum (NGF) as well as individual State Governors, in order to stem the tide of internal migration from states owned hospitals to federal healthcare institutions in the country.
The Association also demanded for immediate halt and reversal of the consultant Pharmacy cadre adventure in order to maintain sanity and orderliness in patient care and well-being and not to throw the healthcare sector into an unnecessary and avoidable crisis.
NEC further commended the efforts of the Minister of Education Dr Maruf Tunji for improved welfare of Medical Lecturers stressing that these will encourage Medical Doctors to take up teaching appointment in the Medical Schools therefore supporting the Federal Governments policy of doubling the enrolment of medical students and training of postgraduate doctors in the teaching hospitals.
“This will boost Federal Government’s policy on Healthcare Workforce. They should urgently implement the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) addressing the long demand of universal applicability of CONMESS to all doctors across different government establishments”.
The communique further stated that there is need for the Federal Government to speedily do all that is required on the increment in retirement age for Medical and Dental Consultants to 70 years and other healthcare workers to 65 years
to take full effect both at the Federal and State levels with effect from the date of pronouncement.
