The Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria has ended its seven-day warning strike.
MDCAN’s National President, Mohammad Mohammad, announced this on Sunday, saying the federal government had agreed to address the group’s demands.
Mr. Mohammad explained that the association’s National Executive Council will meet in mid-December to evaluate progress on the agreements.
He said, “We have agreed on all the issues, what should be done, and with a timeline. We will continue to push for the actualisation of these demands and honour the document signed during the conciliation meeting with the federal government.”
The warning strike, declared last Monday, was over the government’s alleged inaction on key issues. While most members complied with the directive to strike, some hospitals in Abuja and Lagos still provided emergency and critical care services.
One major concern was the exclusion of medical and dental lecturers in the selection process for the Vice-Chancellor position at Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Awka, Anambra State. MDCAN also called for the removal of the university’s Governing Council Chairman, accusing him of insubordination. President Bola Tinubu acted on the matter last week by dissolving UNIZIK’s Governing Council, removing Bernard Odoh as Vice-Chancellor, and sacking Registrar Rosemary Nwokike.
“Our number one demand has been sorted, which is the UNIZIK issue,” Mr. Mohammad confirmed.
MDCAN is also pressing for payment of medical lecturers under the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure, harmonisation of the retirement age for medical consultants to 70 years, addressing manpower shortages in training, research, and healthcare, and universal implementation of CONMESS for clinical lecturers in all Nigerian universities to tackle disparities in salaries, entry-level benefits, and pension contributions.
MDCAN is made up of specialists in various medical and dental fields, responsible for training doctors, providing specialist care, and conducting research. Members work in government and private hospitals as well as tertiary and secondary health facilities across Nigeria.
The association says it will monitor the government’s actions on these issues before deciding on further steps.
