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From Jude Owuamanam, Jos
The Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) has decried the non-implementation of 50 percent electricity subsidy by the Federal Government.
The doctors said the situation has placed a heavy challenge on the operational costs of hospitals as they are now increasingly burdened with indigent patients.
MDCAN had observed that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approval for a 50 percent subsidy for public hospitals had not been implemented.
This was contained in a communique issued at the end of the meeting of the National Executives Council (NEC) of the association in Katsina State.
The theme and sub-theme of the meeting is, “Enhancing national health security: The critical role of medical and dental consultants in promoting equity and innovation in Nigeria’s economically challenging landscape and global perspectives on postgraduate medical career development.”
The communique, which was jointly signed by the MDCAN’s President, Prof Mohammad Aminu and Secretary General, Prof. Daiyabu Alhaji, respectively, warned that the development was inimical to quality health service delivery, adding that the Federal Government must not renege on their promise to subsidise electricity in public hospitals in the country.
“MDCAN, as a body, is passionate about the well-being of the patients and teeming Nigerian population. Concerted efforts must be made to look into this issue and make good the promise of subsidising electricity to public hospitals.”
The Association also demanded immediate halt and reversal of the consultant pharmacy cadre adventure in order to maintain sanity and orderliness in patient care and well-being and not to throw the healthcare sector into an unnecessary and avoidable crisis.
NEC further commended the efforts of the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji, for improved welfare of medical lecturers, stressing that these will encourage medical doctors to take up teaching appointment in the medical schools, therefore, supporting the Federal Government’s policy of doubling the enrolment of medical students and training of postgraduate doctors in the teaching hospitals.
“This will boost the Federal Government’s policy on healthcare workforce. They should urgently implement the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), addressing the long demand of universal applicability of CONMESS to all doctors across different government establishments.”
According to the communique, MDCAN also reiterated the urgent need to address pay disparity among medical doctors, who work in the federal establishments and state-owned institutions and resolved to continue to press on this demand by engaging the leadership of Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) as well as individual state governors, in order to stem the tide of internal migration from states-owned hospitals to federal healthcare institution.
MEDCAN also noted with grave concern the increasing inflation rates, which affects access to healthcare by causing increase in cost of services, as well as drugs calling on the government to critically look into the possibility of reducing the pump prices of petroleum products, as a way to boost the economic power of the citizenry.
NEC further reiterated the position of Fellowship of Medical Postgraduate Colleges as the highest professional and academic qualification required for the training of doctors at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, as well as for the career progression.
The communique also commended the efforts of the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammed Pate, and Minister of State for Health, Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, for their roles leading to presidential approval for the increase in the retirement age for doctors and other healthcare workers in the country.
