The Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) on Thursday asked the government and relevant stakeholders to formulate pragmatic interventional policies and programmes aimed at improving the quality of healthcare services across the country.
According to the association, the idea is to alleviate the associated morbidity and mortality, as well as improve productivity and address man-hour wastage.
In a communique issued at the end of it National executives council (NEC) meeting held in Jalingo, and signed by the national president Dr Victor Makanjuola and secretary general Dr Yemi R. Raji, the association also urged the government to give tax implementation a human face to avoid further depletion of hard-earned salaries of MDCAN members, especially in the period of harsh economic realities.
The statement reads, “After observations and deliberation at the NEC meeting of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), the association have resolved as a fellow, the Government and relevant stakeholders must formulate pragmatic interventional policies and programmes aimed at improving the quality of healthcare services across the country to alleviate associated morbidity and mortality, as well as improve productivity and address man-hour wastage.
“The Government of Abia State is once again called upon, as a matter of urgency. to offset the outstanding salary arrears of our members and all health workers in the state.
“MDCAN calls on well-meaning Nigerians, once more to appeal to the Government to clinically address the shortfalls in the salaries of honorary consultants, who are lecturers. In addition, the remunerations of these medical trainers should be insulated against inflationary trends in order to mitigate the brain drain in the Medical Education sector.
“MDCAN calls on the Government to settle the salary arrears occasioned by skipping in the interest of industrial harmony.
“Substantive increase in retirement age remains one of the best ways to buffer the already dwindling numbers of health workers in Nigeria. There is a need for the appropriate organ of Government to circularise and implement this policy immediately, in the interest of the Nigerian populace who are at the receiving end of the effects of the massive brain drain in the health sector.
“Government should consider the several appeals of well-meaning Nigerians over the plight of university lecturers and their dependents to pay the salary backlogs of these university teachers, which include our members.
“MDCAN insists on the upward review of CONMESS for all doctors in line with the increment of salaries made for other civil servants without further delays.
“Government agencies responsible for the appointment of the CMDs and MDS should avoid unnecessary delays in the process, to avoid unnecessary confusion and insinuations that may detract from the effective and efficient running of our tertiary health institutions
“We appeal to the Federal House of Representatives as a matter of national interest and importance to throw away in its entirety, the bills seeking to bond fresh, medical and dental graduates for five years before they are licensed, as this obnoxious and inhumane bill has the potential of worsening the ongoing massive brain drain in the health and medical education sectors. Our association will be willing to be part of any constructive engagements towards genuine efforts at stemming the tides of the ongoing brain drain in the health and medical education sectors of our economy.
“Stakeholders should devise possible means to increase the number of medical and dental doctors graduating from medical schools while improving their practice competencies. This should be in addition to increasing the number and quality of medical teachers in the country.
“The Management of concerned tertiary hospitals should comply with extant laws and pay full remuneration to staff who have gone on approved sabbatical leaves.
“The Government should intensify efforts at resolving the security challenges in the country, in order to provide a secure working environment which will ultimately put the country on the part of sustained progress: Strict measures must as a matter of urgency, be put in place to protect health workers in their work environments
“The Government is urged to give tax implementation a human face to avoid further depletion of hard-earned salaries of MDCAN members, especially in this period of harsh economic realities. MDCAN appreciates tax exemption on-call duty allowance of members granted by states such as Delta and calls on other State Governments to emulate this. The relevant Government Agencies, such as IPPIS, must ease the implementation of these tax reliefs.
“Other CMDs and MDs should emulate the exemplary leadership of the Chief Executives of the government tertiary hospitals in Taraba State
“The NEC commends the Ekiti State Government under the leadership of H Excellency, Mr Abiodun Abayomi Oyebanji for his dedication to the welfare of our members and other Health workers in the Ekiti State. NEC enjoins other State Governments to emulate Ekiti in these exemplary acts.”
