Bill to prevent doctors from relocating abroad to practise not tenable, against extant labour laws – Ngige

Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige has criticised the bill seeking to manipulate the migration of clinical doctors in a foreign nation for clinical observe.

The bill, which is earlier than the National Assembly, continues to be raising some dust, prompting threats by clinical doctors that they are going to also proceed on a five-day warning strike if the bill sails through.

Ngige, who was reacting to the controversy for the first time, at the moment after the extraordinary Federal Govt Council (FEC) assembly presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on the Council Chamber, Presidential Villa, Abuja, said it runs contrary to extant labour guidelines.

Recall that the sponsor of the bill in the House of Representatives, Ganiyu Johnson, representing Lagos Divulge, had explained that the bill was to ascertain the mass exodus of clinical examiners from the nation.

The legislation is titled: “A Invoice for an Act to amend the Scientific and Dental Practitioners Act, Cap. M379, Regulations of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 to mandate any Nigeria-trained clinical or dental practitioner to practise in Nigeria for no lower than five years earlier than being granted a full licence by the council to invent quality health companies on hand to Nigeria; and for linked matters.”

Following the introduction of the bill, the Nigerian Affiliation of Resident Docs (NARD) vowed that it would withstand any strive to enslave Nigerian clinical clinical doctors below any guise.

Consequently, the clinical association has announced plans to embark on a five-day warning strike, urging the bill be withdrawn straight.

Other calls for are a declare increment in the Consolidated Scientific Salary Structure to the tune of 200 per cent of the latest unhealthy salaries of clinical doctors, the quick implementation of CONMESS, domestication of the Scientific Residency Practising Act, and overview of hazard allowance by all of the enlighten governments besides to non-public tertiary health institutions where any originate of residency coaching is done; among others.

In his response, Ngige said, “No person can sing they (clinical doctors) will no longer procure a practising licence till after five years. It could maybe well scamper counter to the guidelines of the land which absorb established the event in the observe of medicine.

“I’m a clinical doctor. Within the event you graduate from clinical college, you coast on a one twelve months apprenticeship known as housemanship or internship because the case maybe. After your internship, you are actually given a full licence because of sooner than that, what you may maybe maybe well even absorb is a provisional licence of registration with the Nigerian Scientific and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN).

“So, after that intensive coaching, you had been signed off by consultants and also you grew to change into a fully licensed clinical doctor to abet to human beings and to work with none supervision every other time. Supervision then is voluntary.

“Resident Docs are other folks which absorb that full licence and they absorb to invent submit-graduate speciality and speciality is known fancy surgeons, gynecologists, obstetricians, pediatricians, interior medicine of household medicine. So, they’re clinical doctors in coaching.

“The bill in National Assembly can no longer stop anybody from getting a full licence. That bill is a deepest member’s bill.

“Within the National Assembly they abet to non-public individuals’ bills and executive bills. Govt bills emanate from the authorities into the National Assembly with a trace of the manager.

“It is both sent by the Prison skilled Standard of the Federation or by the President but normally from the Prison skilled Standard of the Federation. So, it’s no longer an executive bill, it’s a deepest individuals bill.

“That bill was moved by a lawmaker from Lagos. So, individuals of his constituency can show him right here’s being concerned us. Can’t we take a look at these clinical doctors this plan by you going to discuss in location of set up up a file?

“That file, as some distance as I’m fervent, is no longer workable. Ab initio, I don’t toughen it and I’d no longer ever toughen it. Bask in I said earlier than, it is some distance fancy killing a cruise with a sledge hammer.

“They must calm possess other systems in the event that they are seeking to ascertain brain drain, there needs to be other systems.

“If a doctor has study on scholarship, you bond him, if a doctor has study on bursary, you may maybe maybe well also bond him. If a doctor is trained fancy we’re doing now on minute or nothing which is fancy a scholarship every other time because of N50,000 a session per clinical student is nothing when their counterparts in a foreign nation pay seventy thousand kilos for a session.

“So, I don’t toughen that bill but can bond them whenever you are seeking to absorb.”

On the deliberate warning strike by NARD, the minister said it is some distance no longer well-known for the reason that authorities was already engaged with the NMA, their umbrella body.

Ngige explained: “On the ask for a 200 per cent salary amplify, the NMA is the daddy of all clinical doctors in Nigeria and they’ve about four or five affiliates of which the resident clinical doctors is an association affiliating there.

“You may maybe well even absorb gotten the Scientific and Dental Consultants Affiliation (MEDCAN), they’re the consultants who’re coaching these clinical clinical doctors to change into experts. You even absorb stylish clinical practitioners association and also you even absorb clinical doctors working in the non-public sector

“So, NMA is the daddy of all, alongside side me. So, NMA is discussing with the federal ministry of health, salaries earnings and wages rate and the ministry of labour and we know that NMA has current a salary amplify between 25 and 30 per cent all the plan through board for their individuals.

“So, I don’t know the logic wherein those which will likely be individuals of NMA are actually coming as much as sing, ‘Pay us 200 per cent amplify.’ I don’t are mindful of it.

“I absorb known as the NMA President to contact them because of on the enlighten of affairs of remuneration negotiation, it’s the NMA that the authorities deals with. So, I absorb told the President of NMA to contact them and we are in a position to engage them. They must calm no longer coast on any strike, it’s no longer well-known.”

Ngige also said that FEC current the Universal Implementation of the Employee Compensation Act (ECA) 2010 following a memorandum equipped by his ministry.