Medical consultants, dentists issue 21-day strike ultimatum

The Federal Government has been given a 21-day deadline to comply with the demands of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria, or there would be industrial unrest.

This was stated by MDCAN in a statement that was released on Tuesday following its exceptional National Executive Council meeting, which was essentially on August 7, 2023.

Dr. Victor Makanjuola, its president, and Dr. Yemi Raji, its secretary general, both signed the communiqué.

The NEC expressed its disappointment over the non-implementation of the CONMESS upward review and the introduction of the accoutrement allowance that it had jointly agreed upon with the Nigerian Medical Association.

The communique read, “This error has resulted in the complete exclusion of the clinical lecturers (Honorary Consultants) from benefitting from the upward review. The commencement date for the new circular was agreed to be January 1, 2023, rather than June 1, 2023.

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“We believe this error will be corrected without delay. The recent upward review of CONMESS did not take into consideration the consequences of the fuel subsidy removal and exponential inflation that has pervaded our socioeconomic space in the past three months.

“Despite our association’s decision to keep faith with the engagement and negotiations with the National Salaries Incomes and Wages Commission for more than two years regarding the correction of the shortfalls in remuneration for Clinical Lecturers (Honorary Consultants), the issue is yet to be conclusively addressed by the Federal Government,” it noted.

“We appeal to the government to as a matter of urgency resolve all the contending issues with NARD, to ensure that the government hospitals return to normal operation for optimal healthcare delivery immediately. We call on the government at all levels, as well as the security agencies to do all within their powers, to ensure the safety of our members and other Nigerians while effecting the immediate and safe release of those currently held captive by kidnappers.

“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.

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