Posted on: Sun 31-08-2014

Following the lifting of the suspension earlier placed on the residency training programme for medical doctors and the intention of the federal government to reappraise it, the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP), has advised the government to expand the programme to include other categories of health professionals. 

President of NUAHP, Felix Faniran, who made this call during the weekend at a media briefing in Abuja, also called for the abolition of the post of Deputy Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee (DCMAC) in tertiary hospitals.

According to him, “We therefore commend Mr President for lifting the ban on the residency training and its ongoing appraisal, but in doing so, the programme should be expanded to include other health professionals who are equally entitled to residency training.

“Please note that the Abdullahi Bello Presidential Committee earlier recommended the commencement of residency training for other health professionals since 2011. This should be implemented now,” he noted.

Speaking on the post of the DCMAC, Faniran said: “Our stand is that this post should be abolished because it was not provided for in the Act U 15 LFN 2004 that governs Teaching Hospitals. It is therefore an illegality.

“It constitutes a drain pipe on the finances of the hospital and encourages fraud. We are calling on the ICPC and the EFCC to set their drag nets on the various hospitals in Nigeria. A lot of fraud is taking place there.”

He, however, condemned the decision of the federal ministry of health that only those registerable with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria could use the designation ‘Consultant’, stressing that “it is not only a ruse, it is false, incorrect, wrong and unacceptable”.

“The Circular of July 18, 2014, issued and signed by the Minister of State for Health, Khaliru Alhassan, is improper and unauthorised. The same circular contains paragraph 1.1 which is contradicted by 1.iv. That circular is null and void and highly contemptuous of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria judgment of July 22, 2013 and should therefore be withdrawn immediately in the interest of justice and industrial peace,” he stressed.  

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