The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN)
notes with concern the trend among practitioners
whereby persons in full time employment of the
public service engage in full-fledged private
practice. This practice puts members of the public
who have to access care in either public or
private health institutions in which such
practitioners are involved at grave risk and is
inimical to the image and reputation of the
professions.
Registered medical and dental practitioners and
members of the public are hereby called to note
that the MDCN has made Rules on the conduct of
medical and dental practitioners in full
employment in the public service. These are
contained in Rule 49 of the Code of Medical Ethics
in Nigeria 2008 edition and reproduced hereunder.
CODE OF MEDICAL ETHICS IN NEGERIA 2008 RULE
49
”49.1 medical and dental practitioners who are in
in full time employment in the public service in
Nigeria are free to employ their spare time and
unofficial hours to engage in medical or dental
practice for remuneration as follows:
a. A registered practitioner in full time
employment in the public service shall not engage
himself in extra-mural private practice during
official duty time under any circumstances.
b. A registered practitioner who holds the
appointment of consultant status or a medical or
dental officer of more than ten years post-
registration experience may run one private
consulting clinic which will open for business only
during periods when he is not on official duty.
c. A consultant or registered practitioner of
similar status in (b) above shall offer in-hospital
care to his private patients only within the public
hospital he is in full employment. It is unethical
for a registered practitioner in full employment in
the public service to give in-hospital care, that is
investigatory, admission and institutional care to
patients outside the hospital in which he is in full
time employment.
d. A registered practitioner of more than ten
years post-registration who is in full time
employment in the public service but is not
engaged in clinical responsibilities in the public
hospital may engage, outside the official duty
hours, in clinical practice in an institution owned
and run by full time
private practitioners or hold consultations only in
his own consulting clinic.
e. It is unethical for a registered practitioner
engaged in a public health institution to demand
and/or receive money from hospital patients
under any guise whatsoever, either before or in
the course of attending such patients.”
49.2 Private Practice by Non-Consultant
Registered Practitioners who are in Full Time
Employment in the Public Service
A medical or dental practitioner who does not
have the status of a consultant may engage in
private practice outside his official hours in an
institution owned and run by a full time private
practitioners. It is unethical for a registered
practitioner who is not a consultant or less than
ten years post-registration and who is in the
public service to own and run any private medical
institution.
The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria hereby
directs registered practitioners who are Chief
Medical Directors, Medical Directors or Medical
Superintendent in charge of public health
institutions to provide facilities, programmes and
systems in hospitals they administer, to enable
practitioners engage in intra-mural private
practice.
It is hoped that this measure will significantly
curb the penchant for extra-mural private practice
by practitioners during official hours.
Registered practitioner in administrative control
of public health institutions should be awake to
their responsibilities under Rule 50 of the Code of
Medical Ethics in Nigeria 2008. For ease of
reference reproduced hereunder:
“Ethical Control by Practitioners in Management
Appointments in Public Hospitals
Registered practitioners who are Chief Medical
Directors, Medical Directors, Medical
Superintendents or Medical/Dental Officers in
administrative charge of public service health
institutions have inherent responsibilities to
ensure strict compliance with Public Service
Regulations by professional colleagues and others
who are in the employment of the public service
and are deployed to the institutions which they
administer. A practitioner in administrative control
who fails to report colleagues who violate this
regulation to the Council shall him/herself be
liable for disciplinary process.”
Signed
Dr. A A Ibrahim mni
Registrar

Sanity is coming back to NMA.

Morotov1:
Sanity is coming back to NMA.

NMA and MDCN are not the same thing na!

Oduduwaboy:

NMA and MDCN are not the same thing na!

they are not the same thing... but when there is sanity in MDCN, there is certainly sanity in NMA.

Oduduwaboy:

NMA and MDCN are not the same thing na!

But NMA members are registered by MDCN na.! 1+1=1.