The Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) has observed with the failure of the Federal and States Governments to issue relevant circular on increase (harmonization) retirement age of hospital consultants to 70 years for doctors and 65 years for other healthcare workers in the country.
They also frowned at their persistent inability to squarely address the issues of shortfalls in salaries of clinical lecturers (honorary consultants), occasioned by non-payment of their salaries with CONMESS (the consolidated salary structure for Medical and Dental Doctors in public service in Nigeria.
This was stated in a communique issued at the end of their National Executive Council (NEC) meeting with the theme, “Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative and its Significance in Achieving Universal Health Coverage.”
The communique which was jointly signed by MDCAN president Prof Mohammed Aminu Mohammed and secretary general, Dr. Daiyabu Alhaji Ibrahim in Jos said the development if not addressed would be the bane in the process of sustainable production of healthcare workforce in addition to the abysmally low remuneration of members across many state health institutions which would further encourage brain drain.
“We also resolved that government as well as critical stakeholders in healthcare sector should have strategic plans that will ensure all Nigerians have financial, geographical and functional access to quality healthcare.
“The various steps outlined in the Nigerian Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII) should be properly followed, and MDCAN as well as other critical stakeholders should be involved for effective delivery of quality healthcare to all Nigerians.
“Federal and state governments should as a matter of urgency, address the age
long demand of universal applicability of CONMESS to all qualified medical and dental university lecturers in the Colleges of Medicine/Health Sciences across the various universities in the country,” the communique added.