Medical, dental consultants flay NUC on proposal

Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) has said that a proposal by the National Universities Commission (NUC) as contained in a circular mandating its members to possess PhD certificate could lead to massive brain drain.

Speaking with journalists in Ilorin on Wednesday, the branch chairman of the MDCAN, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Ilorin, Dr Adeboye Muhammed, called on relevant apparatus of government at all levels, public and private individuals to prevail on the NUC executive secretary and all those involved in release of the circular to withdraw it and return to status quo ante.

It is recalled that the MDCAN had directed its members to embark on indefinite strike action over the failure of the NUC to withdraw its circular that prevented them from progressing to another academic ladder without possessing PhD certificate.

The chairman of the MDCAN, who said that the development could worsen the lot of medical education by driving away doctors from medical education and out of the country, described it as discriminatory and unjust.

He also said that the development has no bearing whatsoever with the realities confronting the health sector in present-day Nigeria, adding that it has the potential to crumble the sector if not stopped.

“In the university setting, these consultants are employed as lecturer 1 and they gradually rise to become professors in their various fields of endeavours and some with groundbreaking researches, some emerging as the best researchers in the whole university.

“The choice of having a PhD for this group of academics is optional just as it is in many parts of the world with similar programme till present like the United Kingdom and the United States of America, where in many centres, acquisition of PhD is not mandatory to climb the academic ladder.

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“NUC has over the years attempted forcing a mandatory PhD on the clinical fellows (consultants) and each time stakeholders have always advised that the status quo remained.

“Even after such agreement, NUC would soon go back to re-strategise and represent the same issue with another colouration.

“The latest circular on this subject matter of December 24, 2019 insisted that fellows of the postgraduate medical colleges employed as lecturer 1 would not be able to progress beyond lecturer 1 in their academic careers except he/she obtains a PhD in the related field and MDCAN sought audience with the NUC Executive Secretary and this was to no avail.

Dr. Muhammed, therefore said that, “the association has resolved that, having failed to withdraw the circular after the expiration of 21 days ultimatum served to the NUC, on Feb. 3, 2020, we hereby withdraw our services from medical education in the nation’s universities. This may proceed with postgraduate/specialist training and ultimately withdraw our services from patient care if our demands are not met”.