From Jude Owuamanam, Jos
The Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) has issued a month ultimatum to the federal government over the non-implementation of revised CONMESS.
The association has therefore asked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to direct federal and state universities to commence the implementation of CONMESS salary structure to medical and dental clinical lecturers and doctors in public service with stated in the new revised circular of July 2023.
In a Communique issued in Jos at the end of its emergency virtual National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, MDCAN also appealed for the immediate release of circular on the increased retirement age of medical and Dental consultants to 70 years to at least cover for the shortage of manpower in tertiary health institutions in the country.
MDCAN President, Prof. Mohammad Aminu Mohammad and Secretary General, Dr Daiyabu Alhaji Ibrahim, in a communiqué, which they jointly signed, said the current burn out is so rampant among members to the effect that they can no-longer support the policy of Government doubling the enrolment of medical students in the universities.
They warned that failure of Government to meet their demands, MDCAN has no alternative other than to embark on an indefinite strike by the end of January 2024 after their NEC meeting in Uyo, Akwa-lbom State capital.
The association also expressed worries over near absence of information concerning one of their members Prof. Philip Ephraim who was kidnapped and had been in captivity for close to 4 months.
They urged Government and security agencies to declassify information on the state and whereabout of the kidnapped Professor with a view to bring succour to the family and colleagues.