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MDCAN warns against harassment of doctors, health workers over strike

By Tina Todo, Calabar
21 April 2018   |   4:23 am
The Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) has warned members of the Joint Health Sector Union ((JOHESU) to stop harassing its members willing to offer services to the public.

The Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) has warned members of the Joint Health Sector Union ((JOHESU) to stop harassing its members willing to offer services to the public.

The organisation gave this warning, yesterday, in Calabar in a press statement jointly signed by its National President and Secretary General, Prof Ngim Ngim and Dr. Affiong Ibanga, respectively.

JOHESU embarked on strike on April 17, demanding an upward review in wages.

MDCAN, in the statement, said: “The striking health workers are warned to desist from harassing any member of MDCAN, medical doctors and indeed any other health worker willing to continue rendering medical services.

“Though MDCAN does not oppose an upward review of wages of workers in the health or other sectors. It is important that the government be reminded to strictly take into account and comply with the existing relativity in wages of professional groups in the sector.

“It is important to inform those who may not be aware that there has not been any upward review of the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure, contrary to the dis-information being peddled by these striking workers to hoodwink them to gain public sympathy.

“The adjustment of CONMESS in 2014 was a correction of an error to restore relativity when the government realised that the principle of relativity, for which there is a valid and subsisting agreement with the federal government, had been inadvertently breached during the negotiation process. This corrected CONMESS is not an increase in salary and should not be misconstrued as such.

“Acceding to the current demands by JOHESU will create a fresh distortion in the relativity and certainly lead to another round of protracted crisis in the health sector.”

It further stated that MDCAN and all medical and dental practitioners in the country would reject in its totality, any action by the government that erodes this international best practice of relativity of wages in the health sector.

MDCAN appealed to Chief Medical Directors (CMDs) to provide necessary materials for service delivery and ensure the security and safety of consultants and other workers who are not on strike.

They also called on the federal government to implement the Yayale Ahmed Committee report on resolution of inter-professional disharmony in the health sector to put an end to the crisis in the sector.

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