The Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan branch, has raised an alarm that members of the association and their younger colleagues (interns), in the hospital, have not been paid their salaries and allowances in the last three months.
The chairman of the association, Dr. Victor Makanjuola, made the disclosure on Monday while addressing journalists in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Makanjuola who insisted that medical and dental consultants in the hospital had been consistently delivering clinical services despite the fact they had not been paid in the last three months, maintained that the need to raise the alarm was to correct what he called “erroneous belief by the public that doctors always go on strike for money.”
He added that non-payment of salaries in the last three months had not prevented them as an association from assisting the less-privileged in the society.
Makanjuola, while heralding the association’s annual general meeting under the theme, “Team Building in the Health Management and Leadership in Contemporary Nigeria,” however warned that the patience of the consultants should not be taken for granted.
He appealed to the hospital’s Chief Medical Director (CMD), Professor Temitope Alonge; Chairman of the Board of Management, Alhaji Atiku Bako Bagudu Shettima and the Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, to quickly wade in and resolve the issues surrounding the delay in the payment of their salaries and allowances.
He said, “I must also bring to the notice of the general public that we, the Medical and Dental Consultants as well as some of our younger colleagues (interns) in UCH have not been paid our allowances /salary for the past three months.
“Nevertheless, we have been consistently delivering clinical services. This information is important to correct the erroneous belief by the general public that doctors always go on strike for money.
“As you must have noted that in the programme line-up that non-payment of salaries has also not prevented us, as an association, from being charitable to the less-privileged.
“However, these considerations that are borne out of the nobility of the profession should not be taken for granted as we look forward to a speedy resolution of the impasse with regards to our yet to be paid allowances.
“I will also seize this opportunity to appreciate the hospital’s management led by Professor Temitope Alonge, the Chairman Board of Management; Alhaji Bako Bagudu Shettima and the Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole for their efforts so far in resolving the delay in payment of our allowances reportedly due to migration of resident doctors to the IPPIS system.”
