The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) has issued a stern warning to doctors, cautioning them not to deny patients access to healthcare services during strikes.
The MDCN, which is the official body responsible for overseeing the training, practice, and discipline of medical practitioners in Nigeria, has made it known that the practice of shutting down the health sector has tarnished the reputation of the medical professions and will no longer be tolerated.
In a letter by the registrar, Dr. Tajudeen Sanusi, dated January 4, 2024, and addressed to the Committee of Chief Medical Directors and Medical Directors of Teaching Hospitals, Federal Medical Centres, and Specialized Hospitals, it was pointed out that the new directive is a response to the recent trend of registered practitioners resorting to strikes and industrial actions to assert their labour rights.
The letter, titled “Conduct of Registered Medical Practitioners and Dental Surgeons in Hospitals during Strikes,” stated, “The prevalent practice where hospital patients are precipitously discharged from or denied access to wards, emergency units, labour rooms, etc. on account of strike actions is not acceptable.”
It emphasized that patients on admission should not be discharged simply because of a strike action. It also insisted that accidents and emergency paediatrics units must remain operational and staffed by practitioners who had been scheduled on roasters, as per the provisions of the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act, Cap. M8 LFN 2004.
The registrar warned that administrative practitioners would be held accountable and face severe consequences for any violations. He said, “The registered practitioners in administrative charge of hospitals as Chief Medical Directors, Medical Directors, or by whatever designation, shall be held responsible for violation of these regulations by registered practitioners deployed in the hospitals they are in charge of.”