The House Committee on Health Care Services in the Federal House of Assembly has summoned the Registrar of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, (MDCN), Dr. Tajudeen Sanusi to appear unfailingly on Friday or risk arrest.
It was gathered that the Registrar has failed to honor a question and answer session that was organized by the House Committee over the ongoing strike by the resident’s doctors and payment of house officers.
According to the Chairman of the Committee, Rep. Tanko Sununu disclosed that the Registrar has sent a letter signed by the director of Council to informed the committee at the last minute that he was attending a Medical Council tribunal.
The House Committee Chairman lamented that the Registrar failed to honor an invitation on a national emergency while attending a personal engagement.
The Chairman stated that, if he failed to honor the invitation by 9:00 am on Friday, the House will invoke all relevant laws and take the appropriate measures which may include possible arrest and other sanctions.
Narrating the disappointment, the Chairman stated that, “we sent out invitations to all major stakeholders to attend this meeting, unfortunately, he refused to appear.”
He said, “So because he is a major stakeholder, we have decided to call off the meeting today and summon him again.”
Sununu stated that they were informed that the Registrar is conducting a medical disciplinary tribunal, a meeting which they believe is the case of an individual.
Sununu also stated that people’s lives were lost during the strike, adding that, services were interrupted, accessibility to health care was also denied as a result of the ongoing strike.
He said, the economy has gone down, so to access healthcare is a big question, according to him, “We are here to address national interest because we cannot as representatives of the people allow the country to continue like this, stating that, to make matters worse, in Nigeria, 70 percent of healthcare procurement is out of pocket.
The House Committee Chairman also calls on resident doctors to temper justice with mercy, adding that, everybody believes that your demands are genuine but there are processes to achieve them. We cannot watch while people are suffering, he added.
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