The Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria has appealed to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (FMoH) to as a matter of urgency call to order, the overreaching efforts of Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN) in its attempt to assume the regulatory role of Laboratories manned by Pathologists in hospitals in the country.
MDCAN in a communique jointly signed by its President Prof. Aminu Mohammad and Secretary Prof. Daiyabu Ibrahim a copy made available to newsmen in Jos noted with great concern the purported plan by Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria under the guise of ensuring quality assurance in Laboratories, to assume the role of regulatory agency for hospitals and privately owned Laboratories manned by Medically qualified Pathologists.
Meanwhile, the theme of the NEC meeting is “Health as a Sustainable Development Goal in Nigeria: Celebrating our Success and Strategizing for the Future”.
They pointed out that, “This usurp the regulatory powers of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) and therefore totally unacceptable, illegal and must be stop forthwith.”
MDCAN further warned MLSCN to stay clear adding that it is only the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) that has the powers to regulate the practice of Pathologists in Nigeria.
The communique further stated that the National Executive Council of MDCAN also seek the clarification of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare on this claims by MLSCN while urging Federal Government to address the lingering demand of universal applicability of
CONMESS to all doctors across different Government establishment.
” We also urged the National Salary Income and Wages Commission (NSICWC) to circularize the MoU reached with MDCAN in January, 2024. Urgent release of circular for the increment/harmonization in retirement age to 70 years for hospital consultants and 65 years for other healthcare workers as the delay is no longer acceptable .”
The association further explained that the human capital and infrastructural gaps and deficit should be urgently addressed by the Federal and State governments before implementing the doubling of admission quotas into Medical Dental Schools.
MDCAN also argued that state governments should domesticate the CONMESS Salary structure for the payment of Medical and Dental doctors in their respective state services, including those teaching Medical students adding that this will mitigate the “Internal Japa Syndrome” that is rampant in the of the states in Nigeria.
” We call on other State governments to toe the line of Abia state Government by approving increase increase in retirement age for Medical Doctors and other healthcare workers.”
