The Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria, MDCAN, has advocated for a living wage for doctors across the country.
It said a minimum wage was not sustainable for not only doctors but all health workers amid the economic challenges in the country.
According to the MDCAN, the continuous decline of Nigeria’s economy was taking a heavy toll on healthcare delivery and the general wellbeing of citizens.
The association raised the concern during its 14th Biennial Delegates’ Meeting and Scientific Conference.
National President of MDCAN, Professor Muhammed A. Mohammed, linked the mass migration of medical personnel to the Western world to Nigeria’s poor economic climate, which he said had led to low remuneration of health workers and infrastructural decay in hospitals.
He explained that the biennial conference provides an opportunity for members to review progress, assess challenges, and recommend solutions.
On the exodus of doctors, popularly known as “japa,” he noted: “Human migration predates history, but every cycle comes with its specification. In 1985, there was also a wave of migration, but we were able to put things in place to reverse it.
“The current situation is different, it is multifactorial. Insecurity is there, welfare is there.
“We advocate that remuneration, which is key, be increased. Not just for consultants or doctors alone, but for all healthcare workers.”
He stressed that Nigerian doctors deserve a “living wage” rather than a minimum wage, urging the government to see improved welfare as a patriotic investment that could encourage those who have left to return.
Dailypost/Toyosi Eniola
