MDCAN, the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria, has pushed for a livable wage for Nigerian physicians.
It stated that, given the nation’s economic difficulties, a minimum wage was unsustainable for all healthcare professionals, not just physicians.
The MDCAN claimed that the ongoing economic downturn in Nigeria was having a significant negative impact on the provision of healthcare and the general well-being of its people. At its 14th Biennial Delegates’ Meeting and Scientific Conference, which was held in Enugu on Thursday and had as its theme “Otanisi Psychosis:The Effects of Nigerians’ Declining Socioeconomic Fortunes on Mental Health
Prof. Muhammad A. Mohammed, the national president of MDCAN, attributed the large-scale exodus of medical professionals to the West to Nigeria’s dire economic situation, which he claimed had resulted in low pay for healthcare professionals and hospital infrastructure deterioration.
“The biennial conference gives members a chance to review progress, evaluate challenges, and suggest solutions,” he explained.
He made the following observation about the “japa” or doctors’ exodus: “Human migration predates history, but every cycle comes with its specification.” Additionally, there was a migration wave in 1985, but we were able to reverse it.
“The current state of affairs is distinct and complex. Welfare exists, as does insecurity.
“We support raising compensation, which is crucial. For all healthcare professionals, not just consultants or physicians.
He urged the government to view better welfare as a patriotic investment that might persuade those who have left to return, emphasizing that Nigerian doctors should be paid a “living wage” rather than a minimum wage.
The vice chancellor of the Federal University of Medical and Allied Health Sciences in Enugu State, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, spoke on behalf of the Minister of State for Health, and stated that the federal government was taking action to solve the shortage of medical professionals.
“The Ministry of Health is doubling the quota in medical schools in order to address the issue.
The only way we can create doctors is by training them. According to him, the current policy is to give medical schools more capacity so they can educate more students without sacrificing quality.
Prof. Obinna Onodugo, the Chief Medical Director of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, UNTH, Ituku Ozalla, encouraged MDCAN members to collaborate for improved healthcare delivery in his welcome speech.
H.R.M. Igwe Sir F.O. Nwatu, the Grand Patron of the Enugu Council of Traditional Rulers and the Traditional Ruler of the Ihuokpara Community in Nkanu East, also spoke and thanked MDCAN for providing free medical outreach in his community.
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