Consultants In Government Hospitals Begin 7 Days Strike Nationwide, Demand Sack of Council Chair

The Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) has called for the immediate sack of the chairman of the Governing Council of Nnamdi Azikiwe University for alleged insubordination over who occupies the position of the vice chancellor of the institution.

This is even as the association has commenced a 7-day warning strike throughout the country to press home their demands, from Monday, November 18th to Sunday, November 24th, 2024.
Chairman of MDCAN at the Federal Teaching Hospital Owerri, Dr Samuel Emdin made the disclosure while addressing newsmen yesterday.

According to him, the MDCAN in a communique signed by the national leadership of MDCAN, Prof. Mohammad Aminu Mohammad, President and Prof. Daiyabu Alhaji lbrahim, the Secretary General had directed members to embark on the strike over the continued insubordination of the council chairman of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University targeted at members of MDCAN.

Their demands include that the federal government immediately relieve the chairman of the Governing Council of Nnamdi Azikiwe University of his appointment for his insubordination and enforce the Ministry of Education’s directive, nullifying any appointments subsequent to their directives.
It explained that practicing consultants—professors who doubled as fellows of MDCAN—were excluded from applying for the position of Vice Chancellor for Nnamdi Azikiwe University because they did not have a PhD, saying it was wrong as their qualifications were higher as they trained the students.

Further, MDCAN called on the federal government to develop an all-inclusive prototype of the advertisement for the office of vice-chancellor, saying the advertisement for the office of vice-chancellor as recently issued by Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, may serve as a prototype.

The MDCAN NEC demanded the harmonization of the retirement age of medical consultants to 70 from 60 to help checkmate the brain drain and mass exodus of doctors to other countries, noting that those who retired were yet to be replaced.

Also, the MDCAN NEC demanded the harmonisation of payment of emoluments of medical lecturers with the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), in order to ensure universal applicability of CONMESS to all medical and dental
officers.

The body called for the payment of 2023 and 2024, clinical duty allowance arrears, and 2023, 25 percent and 35 percent CONMESS arrears for their members.

Part of the communique read that MDCAN regretted “failure of the government to harmonise the retirement age of medical consultants to 70 years, to address the current shortfall of critical manpower for training, research, and healthcare services in the country.

“Failure of the government to universally implement the consolidated medical salary structure (CONMESS) for clinical lecturers in all Nigerian universities, which aim to mitigate the current shortfalls in their emolument, entry level, and pension contribution of her members”, were part of their complaints.

Leadership reports that patients in government hospitals are attached to consultants while resident doctors’ assist. However, this development, the young doctors were sceptical about treating patients who were supposed to be managed by consultants.

The wards of the Federal Teaching Hospital Owerri were a shadow of itself as medical doctors and consultants were not available while nurses and medical officers tried to manage the issues.

It was gathered that the Ministry of Education had directed that the caveat issued by the Nnamdi Azikiwe University council chairman be suspended but was flagrantly disobeyed.

Chairman of MDCAN of the Federal Teaching Hospital Owerri, Dr Samuel Emdin, briefing newsmen in Owerri.