By Sidi A. Umar
Sokoto
Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) yesterday said mass sack of striking resident doctors could result in unpalatable consequences for the country.
The association said this in a communiqué jointly signed by the MDCAN National President, Balarabe Sani-Gwarzo, and National Secretary, Abdulkadir Rafindadi, in Kaduna.
The association said any such move was inimical to the nation’s public health sector and called for urgent steps to safeguard the nation’s public health sector from total collapse.
“The meeting noted with utmost dismay the highhandedness of the Federal Ministry of Health as evident in a circular dated 19th Jan. 2017 ref DHS/828/T/199.
“The circular directed the Chief Medical Directors (CMDs) and Medical Directors (MDs) to replace striking resident doctors with locum staff.
“We observed that the ongoing strike action was avoidable as the MDCAN had earlier intervened by calling the attention of the Honourable Minister to activities of some staff in the health ministry.
“Activities of these staff aimed at frustrating the implementation of earlier agreement reached in a meeting with Hon Yakubu Dogara, Speaker, House of Representatives on 14th July, 2016,” it noted.
The association advised the Federal Ministry of Health to urgently work towards resolving the current strike by the National Association of Resident Doctors by implementing all previous agreements reached.
MDCAN also lamented the deplorable condition at the 13 camps that accommodated 319,749 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and called for the implementation of the resettlement plan.
