A 21-day ultimatum has been issued by the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria, (MDCAN), to the Federal Government to meet its demands or face industrial disharmony.
According to reports, MDCAN made this known in a communique issued yesterday, at the end of its extraordinary National Executive Council meeting, which was held virtually.
The communique was signed by its President, Dr. Victor Makanjuola, and Secretary-General, Dr. Yemi Raji.
The NEC said 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, (NMA), as the released circular only captured the percentage increase on the basic salary, as against applying it to both the basic salaries and all allowances except hazard allowance.
The Council said it observed the non-universal implementation of CONMESS for all medical and dental doctors irrespective of the agencies of the government they are working with.
The council decried the failure of the government to appreciate the magnitude of the impacts of brain drain in the health sector, as exhibited by the refusal of the National Council on Establishment to approve the Federal Ministry of Health’s proposal on the upward review of the age of retirement for the Medical and Dental Consultants and other health workers.
It said the government has failed to resolve the ongoing disputes with the National Association of Residents Doctors and its attendant impacts on access to health care by Nigerians, and the kidnapping of doctors in the country.
The consultants are, however, demanding the immediate review of the newly revised CONMESS circular and issuance of a new circular that would reflect the agreed percentage on both the Basic Salary and other allowances, apart from hazard allowance.
According to them, the review will ensure that the clinical lecturers would benefit from the upward review.
Other demands include: “A call for the correction of the error of commencement of the implementation of the upward review of CONMESS from June 1, 2023, to January 1, 2023”.
“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.
