Medical, dental consultants issue 21-day strike notice, decry discrimination

The National Executive Council of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) has issued a 21-day notice of strike to relevant stakeholders to address their beleaguering demands.

MDCAN also stated that failure to fulfill its demands would mean it cannot guarantee the continuation of services rendered by its members who are holders of Medical and Dental Fellowships nationwide.

This was contained in a statement made available to journalists in Jos, the Plateau State capital, at the end of MDCAN’s extraordinary virtual National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, signed by its President, Prof. Aminu Mohammad, and Secretary, Prof. Daiyabu Ibrahim.

The statement directed its members to take lawful steps, not limited to withdrawal of services, but also legal options where advertisements for the position of Vice Chancellor are discriminatory and disenfranchise Medical and Dental Lecturers.

It reads: “NEC resolves that any unlawful and discriminatory posture toward holders of Medical and Dental Fellowship qualifications will no longer be tolerated.

“All members where such discriminatory advertisements are released have been directed to take necessary lawful means to restore their rights as provided for in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

The NEC also resolved that it is unacceptable for any university in Nigeria to benchmark the requirements for the office of Vice Chancellor to the attainment of a PhD without recognizing the Medical and Dental Fellowships peculiar to the medical profession as an academic and professional qualification that more than suffices wherever a PhD is required.

MDCAN further decried the failure of the government to harmonize the retirement age of medical consultants to 70 years, especially in the face of increasing needs for both academic and professional duties of these medical and dental specialists.

According to them, these individuals are the undergraduate and postgraduate medical and dental trainers and providers of specialist medical services in tertiary health institutions (teaching hospitals, federal medical centers and specialty hospitals) at state and federal levels.

MDCAN also urged the federal government to, as a matter of urgency, complete the process of harmonizing the payment of the emoluments of Clinical Medical Lecturers with the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) in order to correct the significant shortfalls in their emoluments, entry level, and pension.

The NEC also commended the steps taken thus far by members to address the discriminatory advertisements, which have the sole aim of disenfranchising medical lecturers from contributing their quota to university administration and management at the highest level.