The Secretary General of the Nigerian Association of Medical and Dental Academics, Dr. Zakari Suleiman, tells LARA ADEJORO why the formation of the association was necessary and what it will offer to medical doctors in academia
When was the idea of the association mooted and what necessitated its formation?
The formation of the association has been on since 2015 because of the peculiar situation of medical lecturers which has not been addressed properly by the Academic Staff Union of Universities. The association was formed to address issues peculiar to medical lecturers, the desecration of our fellowship certificates and conditions of service. Medical lecturers in the university are members of ASUU, no doubt about it, but over the years, we discovered that we have some peculiarities which have not been addressed to our satisfaction and we felt the best way to get them addressed is to have a separate association. The members of NAMDA are medical doctors in universities, teaching hospitals, federal medical centres, and research institutions.
On the condition of service, medical doctors do experience a significant salary drop upon joining universities as lecturers. For example, a house officer is usually on Grade Level 10. If such a house officer finishes and goes for national service, they will still retain that GL 10 after the national service and be employed as a medical officer in a government hospital; such a doctor would be employed on GL 13 by virtue of his qualification. However, if they join the university as Lecturer II, they will be employed on GL 10. The downgrading of their salary scale from GL 13 to GL 10 is a huge salary drop, which is against the public service rule. That is one of the issues medical doctors are confronted with in the academic sector. We have complained to ASUU but it has not been addressed.
The other issue is that a doctor who undergoes postgraduate residency training in a teaching hospital or FMC is employed as a consultant in a teaching hospital or FMC on GL 16. When they join a university as a clinical lecturer (Lecturer I), they will be downgraded to GL 13. The other issue is about our fellowship qualification. In recent times, our fellowship certificate is being attacked unjustly to the extent that some universities require clinical lecturers to have a PhD before they can be promoted or vie for the vice chancellorship position. ASUU did not, and has not, come to our defence on the peculiarity of medical fellowship. Fellowship is the terminal academic qualification for a clinical lecturer.
Do you think that career progression in a medical institution and a university should be the same?
Of course, we understand that medical doctors in the basic medical sciences must have a PhD for career progression in the university; but for clinical lecturers, a PhD is not required to make us better clinicians. The insistence that clinical lecturers must have a PhD is discouraging doctors from joining the universities, and this is also a push factor for doctors leaving the country; they feel it’s an aberration.
We looked at all these issues and we felt that despite our membership in ASUU, the union is not disposed to address the peculiarities of medical practitioners in academia. These issues have been on for a long time and it is the desire of every medical lecturer to have another association to address issues that are peculiar to them. Our members cut across various institutions such as universities (medical doctors in the basic clinical sciences), federal medical centres, teaching hospitals and research institutions.
Have the issues you have raised now been addressed since you formed the association?
The association is still young, the association was registered in September 2022. The platform has been created and it will be used to address our peculiarities. We also observed that there is a downward trend in the quality of medical training in the country due to frequent strikes in the universities. Medical training is an apprenticeship and the healthcare delivery system depreciates when such an apprenticeship is interrupted. As medical practitioners, we are concerned about how to improve the healthcare delivery system in the country.
What kind of reception have you received from ASUU since the association (NAMDA) was formed?
We don’t need any reception from ASUU. We are not contending with ASUU. We believe in what ASUU has been fighting for. ASUU has been fighting for good conditions of service for lecturers in the university and we are in support of that. ASUU is fighting a good cause but our peculiarities have to be fixed and it is obvious that ASUU is not configured organically to do that for us.
Since your association was formed, some critics described your members as saboteurs. What do you have to say about that?
I’m not aware of that labelling. I just told you what we stand for and what we are doing. So, any association that is pursuing a good condition of service for its members is a saboteur? Well, I’m not aware of that and I don’t think I need to respond to that.
There are also concerns that the formation of multiple unions will lead to chaos. Don’t you think so?
In teaching hospitals, we have many unions. We have MDCAN, the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors, the Joint Health Sector Union, Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria. Everybody is there but you have to look at your peculiarity. I am a member of the NMA. I also belong to my speciality association. My being a member of the Nigerian Society of Anaesthetists does not exclude me from being a member of the NMA or the MDCAN. I’m a financial member of the NMA, I’m a financial member of the MDCAN, I’m also a financial member of the Nigerian Society of Anaesthetists and I also belong to other associations both within and outside of the country. I do not see any chaos in associating oneself with a group that shares and promotes your aspirations.
What are you doing differently from what ASUU is doing?
We are in support of what ASUU is doing but because of our peculiarities which I have stated earlier, we think it is better for us to have another platform to address such peculiarities. Let me also say this, NAMDA is the only medical association that is registered as a trade union. I’m a member of the MDCAN, and I was even a past chairman of the MDCAN in my branch, but the MDCAN is not a trade union. The NMA is our parent body but it is not a trade union.
The Nigeria Labour Congress also said your union contravenes labour laws. How will you react to that?
I don’t want to comment on the NLC’s view. That is the position of the NLC. What I know is that there is freedom of association in Nigeria. We are a professional body and we operate within the ambit of the law to promote and defend the interests of medical doctors in academic institutions and research centres.
As an association, what are the best approaches to the government, especially when your demands are not being met?
I don’t want to be involved in hypothetical situations. As a union, we believe in dialogue and we will engage all the relevant authorities to present our legitimate demands. Thereafter, we will appraise the situation. This is not the first time an association of medical doctors is formed, and such an association had engaged the government in the past and responses had been favourable. The NMA has negotiated with the government, the MDCAN has negotiated with the government, and you can see what has happened in terms of our responses to the government’s position. The NARD too had similar engagements with the government. A large proportion of members of these various medical associations are members of the NAMDA. So, we believe in articulating our points when engaging relevant agencies and we are sure that reason will prevail.
What can be done to avoid confrontations and frequent strikes in the educational sector?
It is a two-way thing. Everybody has to play their part truthfully and diligently and once that is done, the frequent strikes will be a thing of the past. The government must play its role and the stakeholders making demands must play their roles as well. Mutual respect and commitment to collective bargaining agreements by both parties will promote industrial harmony in the university.