Worried about the state of medical practice in Nigeria, Nigerian doctors have sent a save our soul (SOS) message to President Mohammadu Buhari on the need to urgently reconstitute the Board of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, MDCN, in order to save medical practice in the country.
Meanwhile, the medical doctors are demanding for the extension of the anti graft war to the health sector.
The doctors under the auspices of the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, Lagos State branch said absence of the board has made matters relating to safety and ethics of doctors-patients relationship are unattended to.
Speaking during its 2016 Physician Week in Lagos with the theme: “Healthcare Delivery in a Frail Economy: Challenges and Way Forward”, Factional Chairman, NMA Lagos, Dr. Olumuyiwa Odusote said out that the nonexistence of the board is that people can commit malpractice in the medical profession with nobody to redress it and this will impact negatively on the healthcare delivery in the country. “The MDCN is a body that manages and regulates doctor’s practise, when a patient has any issue against the doctor MDCN is suppose to handle, interphase and administer necessary disciplinary action because I they can be a disciplinary panel like a court but now that it has been dissolved people can do malpractice with no one to caution them, there will be no redress,” he added.
The implication of dissolving this Council is not only that litigation is left undetermined but it is also surprising that the Federal government’s directive dissolving all Boards and parastatals spares all non-health related professional regulatory councils but included all health regulatory bodies under the Federal Ministry of Health. This action has made the NMA to doubt the prioritisation of healthcare programmes by the Federal government in its policies.”
“There is paucity of funds and the budget allocation to health sector is low and to make best use of this allocation, we must maximise its usage. One of the ways to maximise this fund is to ensure that that anybody who is going to manage that fund knows that somebody could come after him or her tomorrow.”
In his keynote address entitled: “Healthcare delivery in a frail economy: challenges and way forward”, Former Medical Director Lagoon Hospital, Dr. Kunle Onakoya noted that in a recessed economy, Physicians should look for opportunities in the sector and respond to them because of the low budgetary allocation to the health sector.
By: Chioma Obinna
Vanguard News
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PORTHARCOURT: Training Schedule for Basic Life Support BLS, Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support ACLS, First Aid, CPR, AED
LAGOS: Training Schedule for Basic Life Support BLS, Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support ACLS, First Aid, CPR, AED
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