By Isreal Adamu, Jos
The Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) has urged the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (FMOH) to urgently address what they describe as the overreach of the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN). The MLSCN is accused of attempting to assume the regulatory role over laboratories operated by pathologists in hospitals nationwide.
MDCAN claims that MLSCN, under the guise of ensuring quality assurance, seeks to take over the role of regulatory authority for both public and private laboratories managed by medically qualified pathologists.
In a communiqué issued and signed by MDCAN President Prof. Aminu Mohammad and Secretary Prof. Daiyabu Ibrahim, and shared with journalists in Jos, Plateau State, the association condemned these actions. The communiqué states: “This usurpation of the regulatory powers of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) is entirely unacceptable, illegal, and must cease immediately.”
MDCAN emphasized that only the MDCN holds the authority to regulate the practice of pathologists in Nigeria. They called on the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to clarify these claims made by MLSCN and urged the Federal Government to address the long-standing issue of the universal applicability of the CONMESS salary structure for doctors across different government establishments.
The association also urged the National Salaries, Incomes, and Wages Commission (NSIWC) to issue a circular regarding the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) reached with MDCAN in January 2024. They stressed the urgent need for a circular to adjust the retirement age to 70 years for hospital consultants and 65 years for other healthcare workers, criticizing the delay as unacceptable.
Additionally, MDCAN called for immediate attention to human capital and infrastructural gaps by both Federal and State governments before increasing medical and dental school admission quotas. They also advocated for the adoption of the CONMESS salary structure by state governments to pay medical and dental doctors, including those teaching medical students, to counter the prevalent “Internal Japa Syndrome” in various states.
“We encourage other state governments to emulate Abia State by approving an increase in the retirement age for medical doctors and other healthcare workers,” MDCAN concluded.
