Medical practitioners under the auspices of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), have proffered solutions to improving the quality of healthcare services across the country.
This was part of the resolutions reached recently at the end of the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the association in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital.
In the 15 -point communique issued after the meeting, President of MDCAN, Dr. Victor Makanjuola, called on government, relevant stakeholders and well- meaning Nigerians to look into the quality of healthcare services, welfare of its members, the brain drain phenomenon, obnoxious health legislations and the security challenges bedeviling the nation.
The association observed that “poor quality healthcare contributes to increased morbidity and mortality as well as loss of productivity and man-hours”.
According to the communique, the failure of government to address certain welfare issues of medical practitioners has contributed to the “worsening effect of brain drain in the health sector”.
The association also described as “obnoxious, retrogressive and unethical” the Bill for an Act to make it mandatory for fresh medical and dental graduates to provide services to Nigeria for a minimum of five years before full registration and licensing to practice. It therefore appealed to the House of Representatives to throw away the Bill “in its entirety”.
Part of the resolutions are as follows: “Government and relevant stakeholders must formulate pragmatic interventional policies and programmes aimed at improving the quality of healthcare services across the country.
“Government of Abia is called upon to as a matter of urgency offset the outstanding salary arrears of our members and that of all health workers in the State.
“Address the shortfalls in the salaries of honorary consultants, who are clinical lecturers.
“Settle the salary arrears occasion by skipping in the interest of industrial harmony.
“Substantive increase in retirement age remains one of the best ways to buffer the already dwindling numbers of health workers in Nigeria.
“Consider the several appeals of well-meaning Nigerians over the plight of university lecturers and their dependents to pay the salary backlogs of these university teachers.
“Upward review of CONMESS for all doctors in line with the increment of salaries made to other civil servants.
“Avoid unnecessary delays in the process, to avoid unnecessary confusion and insinuations that may detract from effective and efficient running of our tertiary health institutions.
“Device possible means to increase the number of medical and dental doctors graduating from medical schools while improving their practice competencies.
“Management of concerned tertiary hospitals should comply with extant laws and pay full remuneration to staff who have gone on approved sabbatical leaves”.
The communique also urged government to intensify efforts at resolving the security challenges in the country.
