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From Fred Ezeh, Abuja
Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has raised concerns about the recently proposed bill on the establishment of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine Regulatory Board in Nigeria.
It queried the Federal Ministry of Health for coming up with a bill which it claimed had some components that would be in conflict with the statutory functions of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN).
The association’s concerns was contained in a communique jointly signed by Dr. Uche Ojinmah and Dr. Jide Onyekwelu, NMA President and Secretary-General, respectively, issued at the end of its National Executive Council (NEC) in Gombe state.
The association suggested that the bill be withdrawn for further inputs and amendments.
NMA directed the NOC to engage the National Assembly and Federal Ministry of Health on the need to make amendment to the title of the bill on Complementary, Alternative and Traditional Medicine Board to reflect only African Traditional Medicine matters.
This, it said, would ensure more clarity and avert any issue in future that might lead to industrial disagreement, dispute or overlap of responsibilities.
“NMA at the NEC meeting also reviewed the level of progress in clearing the backlog of salary arrears of doctors and other health workers in Abia, Ekiti, Ondo and Imo states, and expressed its disappointment with the failure of Abia State Government to pay salaries and other allowances of doctors and other health workers for up to 24 months.”
The NMA said the action by Abia State government was unfair, irritable and highly provocative to the tenets of civil service and natural justice, while it appreciated the level of progress made in Ekiti, Ondo and Imo states in clearing the unpaid salaries and wages of doctors and other Health workers.
It charged its Abia state branch to ensure that the rights and privileges of all doctors in the state, especially those working with Abia State government are not trampled upon.
