The Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) has expressed confidence that extending the retirement age of medical consultants to 70 years, and other skilled health care workers to 65 will address brain drain, improve knowledge transfer and quality health care delivery.
MDCAN also commended President Bola Tinubu for the gesture and urged the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, who it noted to have played critical role in approving the policy, to fast-track the implementation of the policy.
It will be recalled that MDCAN had over the years been at the forefront of championing extension of retirement age of its members to 70 years.
President of the association, Prof. Mohammad Aminu, stated this while speaking with newsmen in Jos, the Plateau State capital.
Prof Aminu argued that the extension of service allows consultants to attain 35 years in service like other civil servants in the country.
According to him, the average minimal age of graduation from Medical Schools these days is about 24-25 years, stressing that one year housemanship and one year NYSC totals 27 years for a young doctor before commencing his career.
He lamented that undertaking Residency Training programme from Primary Fellowship Exams to Exit at Part two, takes a minimum of 6-7 years but can extend to 10 or more years.
The MDCAN boss further pointed out that at 60 years of age, a hospital Consultant has only put in 20-25 years in service and retires losing 10-15 years of active service years.
He said with the current devaluation of the Naira of N1,700 to $1.00 dollar, a young Consultant’s monthly Salary on CONMESS Salary structure crashes from 5,000 dollars in 2014 to about 500 dollars.
Prof Aminu further commended the efforts of President Tinubu and Prof Pate; Minister of State for Health, Dr I. A. Salako; Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, and the Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Dingyadi and other critical stakeholders for their roles, adding that MDCAN will continue to monitor the process till its logical conclusion.
“We will reciprocate this gesture of Mr President and his team by striving to continue to provide quality healthcare services to Nigerians and assist the government to achieve its set goals in healthcare, training and research,” he said.