By Chijioke Kingsley
Abuja (Sundiata Post) – The President of Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) Prof. Mohammad Aminu has advised President Bola Tinubu that he can stop doctors from migrating abroad by increasing their welfare package.
Aminu also said investing in critical infrastructure will save the country from the embarrassing “japa” syndrome indulged by youths.
Speaking in a statement sent to our correspondent on Sunday, he said: “The Federal government should also review remuneration and allowances, inclusion of members in the current government housing schemes, robust intramural practice and special healthcare funding at a single digit interest to enable diversification and development of public private partnership.
The statement indicates that Aminu spoke while leading members of the National Executive Council (NEC) on a courtesy visit to President Tinubu.
The visit was in continuation of the group advocacy visits to critical stakeholders as regard to the welfare of its members and the challenges bedeviling the health sector.
The visit also urged the federal government on the need to also convene a healthcare and educational summit to enable government, its partners and stakeholders to critically discuss the policies of government such as increasing enrollment of healthcare students so as to ensure its effectiveness and maximize its benefits.
He also disclosed that half of their members (Honorary Consultants) are primarily teaching in the various Universities of learning, mainly in the Faculties of Dentistry, Faculties of Basic Clinical Sciences and Faculties of Clinical Sciences, domiciled with the Colleges of Health or Medical Sciences of our various Universities.
According to him: “The remaining hospital consultants working with the various teaching hospitals and federal medical centers share everything in common in terms of their training and qualification, but they are remunerated differently, with the later placed appropriately on CONMESS salary scale, while the former are being denied the same salary scale with one retiring at age 70 and the other one at age 60.
“This development should be addressed as soon as possible to reduce the scourge of migration of the highly trained manpower from our hospitals and medical schools and increase medical teachers taking up university positions to support the government’s policy of doubling enrolment and production of well-trained Doctors.”
“The ongoing reforms in the sector such as the unbundling of the healthcare economy, improving local manufacturing of drugs and consumables, restoring funding for heath professional regulatory councils, waiver for employment of critical core clinical human resource, improved welfare for healthcare workers, and most importantly the increased number of enrolment of core Healthcare training institutions will certainly make Nigeria to be self sufficient in the next few years.
President Tinubu who was represented by the Minister of Health and Coordinating Minister for Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate assured the doctors that he would convey their message to the President for prompt action.
The Minister said the President has prioritized the health sector as some of their concerns were already being addressed.
Our correspondent reports that MDCAN is a professional body of all specialist Medical and Dental practitioners which provide medical services in tertiary health institutions at federal and states levels and teaching and training of undergraduate Medical and Dental Students in federal and states owned Universities, training of postgraduate Medical and Dental Doctors in the country to specialist Level as well as conducting cutting age multidisciplinary medical research.
