Medical and Dental Consultants Associations of Nigeria (MDCAN), has accused the management of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka of being discriminatory in its Search for Vice Chancellor of the institution.
The Chairman of MDCAN, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital (COOUTH) chapter, Dr Amaechi Nwachukwu, P.hD said this on Monday during a press conference.
Nwachukwu insisted that it was wrong for UNIZIK management to exclude medical and dental consultants who go through a very serious academic progression, even more than professors.
There had been protests by MDCAN, UNIZIK chapter over an advert for the position of Vice Chancellor, which specifically stated that a candidate must have a PhD, and must have attained the position of a professor, a position which MDCAN members argue is equivalent to their medical fellowship.
Amaechi while addressing journalists said: “The Federal Government needs to standardize process of application for the post of university Vice Chancellors.
“This will put an end to the anarchy bedeviling the post of Vice Chancellor as we can see in Nnamdi Azikiwe University today.
“UNIZIK was discriminatory in its advert for the post of Vice Chancellor. We wonder why medical doctors and consultants who went through a very serious academic progression, even more than professors should not be allowed to be Vice Chancellor, moreso when we are the people training all the doctors in Nigeria.”
The chapter chairman backed the recent warning strike by its national body, insisting that the federal government should look into the association’s demands.
“We called on federal government to also ensure that all employed doctors are paid consolidated medical salary structure as was the practice.
“Our years of service should be harmonised to allow consultants to retire at 70.”
He said many of Nigerian doctors are traveling abroad for greener pastures, a situation which has depleted number of doctors available in the country today.
