Medical, dental consultants advocate resettlement plan for IDPs

The Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) has called for urgent implementation of the resettlement plan by the Federal Government for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in addition to the ongoing efforts towards addressing their health challenges.

This call was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the Association which held in Lagos and which the President of the Association, Professor Balarabe Sani Garko, read to newsmen in Kaduna at the weekend.

The communiqué criticized the deplorable health situation of IDPs with conditions that it said included malaria, malnutrition and poor sanitation, but expressed the willingness of the MDCAN members to partner with the government and other stakeholders in the effort to combat the health challenges of the IDPs..

The communiqué condemned what it described as continuous non-payment of salaries and allowances to members of the Association for several months in various health institutions across the country, and urged employers still owing workers’ salaries and allowances to defray all such outstanding emoluments.

The communiqué also advocated the universal application of agreements regarding implementation of appropriate emoluments to all members especially at the state level. Also it called on the Federal Ministry of Health to urgently work towards the resolution of the current National Association of Resident Doctors strike by implementing all previous agreements reached at various intervention meetings.