Medical, Dental Consultants Threaten Strike

The Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria, MDCAN, has issued the federal government a 21-day ultimatum to meet its demands or face industrial action.

The association issued the threat in a communique signed by its President, Dr Victor Makanjuola, and Secretary-General, Dr Yemi Raji, at the end of its virtual extraordinary National Executive Council, NEC, meeting on Tuesday.

The association pointed out that it was dismayed by the non-implementation of the jointly agreed upward review of CONMESS and the introduction of Accoutrement Allowance with the Nigerian Medical Association.

According to MDCAN, government's released circular only captured the percentage increase on the basic salary against applying same to both the basic salaries and all allowances, excluding hazard allowance.

“This error has resulted in the complete exclusion of the clinical lecturers (Honorary Consultants) from benefiting from the upward review. The commencement date for the new circular was agreed to be January 1, 2023, rather than June 1, 2023.

“We believe this error will be corrected without delay. The recent upward review of CONMESS did not take into consideration the consequences of the fuel subsidy removal and exponential inflation that has pervaded our socio-economic space in the past three months.

“Despite our association’s decision to keep faith with the engagement and negotiations with the National Salaries Incomes and Wages Commission for more than two years regarding the correction of the shortfalls in remuneration for Clinical Lecturers (Honorary Consultants), the issue is yet to be conclusively addressed by the Federal Government,” it noted.

While observing as ill-intended the non-universal implementation of the CONMESS for all medical and dental doctors, irrespective of government agencies, the council decried the failure of the federal government to appreciate the magnitude of the impacts of brain drain in the health sector.

This, the council said, is demonstrated by the the National Council on Establishment’s refusal to approve Health Ministry’s proposal on the upward review of retirement age Medical and Dental Consultants and other health workers.

It therefore ruled that the government has failed to resolve the ongoing disputes with the National Association of Residents Doctors, NARD. Among others, the group also decried government’s non appreciation of the attendant impacts of the impasse on access to health care by Nigerians, and the kidnapping of doctors in the country.

“The upward review of the CONMESS should take into consideration the impacts of the fuel subsidy removal and the high inflationary trend that is currently being experienced. A demand for the immediate implementation and circularisation of the agreed modalities for correcting the shortfalls in remunerations of Clinical Lecturers (Honorary Consultants). An appeal for the universal applicability of CONMESS to all medical and dental doctors, particularly those in public universities.

“The attention of the government is once again called to the impact of brain drain in the health sector, which is contributing to burnout among our members and inadequate healthcare workforce to cater to the health of Nigerians. We, therefore, demand the immediate implementation of the upward review of age retirement to 70 years for Consultants and 65 years for other Health workers, as an immediate measure to bridge the ongoing massive brain drain.

“We appeal to the government to as a matter of urgency resolve all the contending issues with NARD, to ensure that the government hospitals return to normal operation for optimal healthcare delivery immediately. We call on the government at all levels, as well as the security agencies to do all within their powers, to ensure the safety of our members and other Nigerians while effecting the immediate and safe release of those currently held captive by kidnappers.

“The NEC hopes that all these issues will be satisfactorily resolved within the next 21 days, failing which it can no longer guarantee the present relative industrial harmony within the government hospitals and our medical schools”, it said.