The Chairman of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), Dr. Roger Makanjuola, believes the action of the doctors is unethical.

He said:  “It is unethical for doctors to go on strike. Practitioners must respect the provisions of the Code of Medical Ethics in Nigeria as prescribed by the MDCN. Medical doctors and dentists can no longer embark on industrial actions in Nigeria. It is only in extreme cases that doctors would hence forth be allowed to embark on strike.

“Notwithstanding, even in such extreme cases, certain measures must be put in place before doctors can abandon their duty posts. When such industrial actions occur, the care of our patients is protected. The Code stipulates that no patient can be abandoned in the midst of his or her treatment. A striking doctor must make arrangements to hand over the continued care of his patients before he leaves his post. Also, provision must be made for the continued provision of services for accident and emergencies and the care of those with serious illnesses and life-threatening conditions.”

Dr Makanjuola added:  “If any doctor goes on strike and it is reported to the Council, we will investigate and if found culpable, sanctions would be imposed. It is also expected that hospitals’ managements would want to take advantage of this directive. It could be challenging really, this is because, if the doctors have o tool to work with, coupled with an environment unsuitable for job, naturally they would explore all options first, then if everything fails to achieve redress, then the last option would be to down tool.”

 

Source:

Nationonline.ng