MDCAN Condemns Economic Downturn And Calls For A Living Wage For Doctors And Healthcare Workers.

By Chinedu Adonu

Enugu — The Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) has expressed serious concern over Nigeria’s worsening economic conditions, warning that it is jeopardizing healthcare services and citizens’ wellbeing.

The organization voiced this alarm on Thursday during its 14th Biennial Delegates’ Meeting and Scientific Conference in Enugu, themed “Otanisi Psychosis: The Mental Health Implications of Nigeria’s Diminishing Socio-Economic Fortunes.”

National President of MDCAN, Prof. Muhammed A. Mohammed, attributed the mass departure of Nigerian doctors to inadequate pay, infrastructural deterioration, and insecurity, emphasizing that the current minimum wage is no longer sufficient for doctors or other health workers.

“Remuneration, which is vital, must be increased—not only for consultants or doctors but for all healthcare personnel. Nigerian doctors deserve a living wage, not just a minimum wage,” Mohammed stated, urging government to see improved welfare as a patriotic duty.

He added that the biennial gathering provides a platform for members to evaluate medical practice, training, and research, as well as to suggest solutions to the country’s health challenges.

Representing the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Medical and Allied Health Sciences in Enugu State revealed that the government is increasing quotas in medical schools to address staffing shortages.

“The policy now is to enhance the capacity of medical schools so they can train more students without sacrificing quality,” he said.

The Chief Medical Director of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Prof. Obinna Onodugo, in his address, called on MDCAN members to unite in efforts to improve healthcare delivery.

Additionally, H.R.M. Igwe Sir F.O. Nwatu, Grand Patron of the Enugu Council of Traditional Rulers, praised MDCAN for organizing free medical outreach in his community and commended Governor Peter Mbah for policies aimed at reducing maternal mortality in the state.

Prof. Appolos Chidi Ndukuba, MDCAN Vice President I and Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee, compared today’s economic hardships to the austerity period of the 1980s.