Doctors Residency to last 7 years

He said in considering a memo on industrial relations in the public sector, the council stressed the need to do a comprehensive job evaluation and set up a committee that would “evaluate what exactly we should do as individuals, how much should we be paid in a way that we can really pay appropriately across board through the entire country”.

The Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) described the benefit of the federal government’s planned ban as a double edged sword and a ‘50 -50’.

Dr Roland Aigbovo, Public Relations Officer of NMA, Federal Capital (FCT) Territory chapter, said the federal government should have consulted the Medical and Dental Council (MDCN) before coming up with the announcement.

He described it as a misnomer because there was already an existing law, a Code of Medical Practice which says that one can actually run a private practice, but not within working hours at a public hospital, “and secondly that you cannot also run inpatient care that is seeing the patient and admitting them while working in a public hospital.”

While saying that the ban when implemented could help improve efficiency in patients care in public hospitals, the move would also cause a lot of job dissatisfaction and increased quackery in the health sector.

He said doctors spend their hard earned money acquiring additional skills or developing themselves, while some cannot practice their skills in some public health institutions because of lack of requisite facilities and equipment.

Dr Roland Aigbovo said it was important for government to be willing and able to fund and equip the health institutions because no doctor will be happy for his skills to go to waste because of a ban on private practice.

“On the other hand it will also increase quackery because there are so many rural areas that even the Ministry of Health doesn’t go to. There are lots of quackery going on there. So it’s a 50-50 thing,” he said.

Dr UgochukwuEze Public Relations Officer/ spokesman of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), said "Firstly, the NMA is the umbrella body for doctors. NARD is just an affiliate so I believe NMA has a position on this and shall be made public.

“Secondly, there is a code of ethics governing Nigerian doctors and its provisions on the issue are clear. However, there is a regulatory body for activities of medical doctors in the country which is the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria(MDCN).

“MDCN presently has no board and thus not exerting her regulatory role fully. NARD is aware that NMA has been advocating for FG to constitute the MDCN board. If government places high premium on the work/activities of doctors, the board of such an important regulatory body should not be dissolved at will. One is really baffled as this tops the head line of FEC meeting today,” he said.