Doctors Begin Nationwide Strike

The Nigeria Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), yesterday, commenced a seven-day warning strike across the country, following the expiration of a 21-day ultimatum issued to the Federal Government.

In a communiqué at the end of its virtual National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, the association said it had no option but to embark on the strike, having issued several ultimatums which were disregarded.

National President of the group, Prof. Mohammed Aminu Mohammed, at a press briefing, also demanded the nullification of the appointment of the new Vice Chancellor of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, and the sack of the chairman of the university’s council for failure to enforce the directive of the Ministry of Education nullifying the appointments.

Mohammed regretted that the appointment did not follow due process and was predesigned to achieve a predicted outcome while adding that the exercise, right from the advertisement for the position, was designed to exclude their members.

He regretted that their members were being looked down upon in many universities, adding that in many cases they were not allowed to rise to certain ranks and positions

Against this, he tasked the Federal Government to develop an all inclusive prototype of advertisement for the office of the Vice Chancellor similar to the one that was issued by the Ahmadu Bello University

Listing their additional grievances, he demanded the harmonisation of the retirement age of medical consultants to 70 years, as well as the harmonisation of the emoluments of medical lecturers with the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), with a view to ensuring universal applicability. He raised the alarm that many medical consultants were already withdrawing from the universities due to the undermining conditions of service inherent there, adding that seen alongside the “Japa” syndrome in the medical sector, the future of medical training was in danger.

He urged the Federal Government to commit itself to the issues being demanded by the association to avert this danger.

Mohammad pledged that the NEC would reconvene on November 24 to reassess the progress made with a view to charting the next course of action.