MBBS DOCTORS VERSUS MLS DOCTORS: NIGERIA A COUNTRY WITH TWO KINDS OF MEDICAL DOCTORS

Dear Hippocratic colleagues, it is no longer a news that medical profession is facing a great attack from the amorphous association called JOHESU. The current strike bear witness to this. Another dimension surface recently and that is the approval by NUC of MLS.D (Doctor of Medical Laboratory Science) program. A detailed review of the curriculum revealed that it is exact photocopy of the medical curriculum apart from surgery. It also contains other courses like entrepreneurship, computer science, core mathematics, law among others. This is the realisation of the 5 years strategic plans of MLS (2013-2018), most of the contents have been achieved and more are still coming before the end of the year. Also the old MLS will undertake a year or 2 years program to get converted to MLS.D and become medical (Lab Science ) doctor or medical doctor.

So what are the challenges that this MLS.D curriculum will pose to medicine and medical practice in Nigeria? Number one, with regard to the content of the curriculum vis-a-vis gross anatomy, embryology, histology, physiology, biochemistry and pathology; Nigeria will now have two set of medical doctors that is the Medical ( Laboratory Science ) Doctor and the MBBS medical doctor. This will be a great confusion for patients.

Secondly, the phrase " medically qualified " will be challenged again, trust the MLS -they will buy court verdict to be regarded as "medically qualified". The effects of this is the extension of the privileges of MBBS medical doctors to MLS medical doctors. This Include CMD/MD post among others.

Another issue is displacement of pathologists totally from the laboratory since according to their curriculum they will be trained to interpret laboratory results. Recall, that the NICN verdict of 2016 was in favour of MLS and it stated that MLS are the legal owners and should head the medical lab ( NUAHP vs OAUTHC).

Another pathetic consequence will be opening of hospitals, YES - HOSPITALS by these new medical doctors. medical consultation and laboratory work will be done together (this is already in practice in part of Lagos ). Some said, but they will never get involve in surgeries. I laughed, in Nigeria where nurses, CHEW, even auxiliary nurses are doing surgeries; how much more an individual with basic medical knowledge -anatomy, physiology, pathology. Therefore, it is not only the Pathologists that are threatened but all MBBS doctors.

The other complication is pay parity - entry level into practice will be same with MBBS doctors since their course is also 6 years with robust curriculum if not more robust that mbbs curriculum.

The use of the title "Dr" will no longer be for MBBS doctors only since MLS are also medical doctors now,other doctors to content with are : Doctor of Pharmacy, Doctor of Optometry, Doctor Of Physiotherapy and Doctor of Nutrition and Dietetics (the last too are coming up). May be Doctor of Nurses too. So the question will now be -who is "the doctor ". The privileges and honour accorded to MBBS medical doctors by the society will be extended to these "doctors ". These will include political appointment, headship of health institutions etc.

So what is the way out? There are solutions to the attack, I will rather share it on a round table with Hippocratic colleagues but NMA, MDCN, ARD, MDCAN, NIGERIA ACADEMY OF PATHOLOGISTS, THE MEDICAL ELDERS, DOCTORS IN POLITICS AND OTHER RELEVANT STAKEHOLDERS should convene and EMERGENCY gathering within the next one month to brainstorm on the way forward.

Concerned MBBS MEDICAL DOCTOR ( FETHI IDO-EKITI ) 23/05/2018

look at this one forming Dr. if they ask him to make a diagnosis now he go dey do rubbish. abeg park well

Thanks op for bringing this up..

With regards the titular appelation--- anybody with a PhD is a doctor.... clarity is sought regarding what type of doctor..

As a significant fraction.of the population may not understand the difference, I agree that assumed identities and competences. by people of questionable.characters, will.be prevalent until the authorities look into sorting things out by ensuring clarity in use of appelation and more regulation vis a vis transparency.





With regards opening hospitals, its clear that the medical practitioner(s) have to.be MDCN registered and licensed to limit quacks practising!! That should be sorted under the regulatory board or through the national health insurance registration arm.., access to check hospital and doctor details.should be available online.,



Truth be told, Naija needs more properly educated medical personnel, medics and allied staff to.meet its ailing but ever-increasing health.burdens!! So pharmacists, med lab scientists are welcome..



The problem.arises when pple try to perform roles they are least equipped/ trained for..

So Its a no no for a medlab scientist to be performing surgeries because youtube and previous observations gives you.an.idea what to do That's frankly illegal!!!--- a criminal offence.




Lastly, leadership tussle is best left to.the most qualified..

The Naija terrain has the medical doctor leading the team.on almost all levels, by default,,they are leaders of the different healthcare teams

In.some other remits, this may not be the case.,. But it remains the status quo largely.
So in the case of CMDs-- who often function as medical directors, its not debatable--- a medic is needed..

In American-styled hospitals which have a board and administrator/ CEO combo, someone with the relevant business acumen.is needed-- this leaves the floor.open.to suitably.qualified personnel!!



Re: political appts such as in the MoH, Commissioner jobs appointments, that has been so politicized, its hardly a discussion for this forum.



.

Lamentation of a doc,
The sky is wide to accommodate everyone.

megamank:
MBBS DOCTORS VERSUS MLS DOCTORS: NIGERIA A COUNTRY WITH TWO KINDS OF MEDICAL DOCTORS

Dear Hippocratic colleagues, it is no longer a news that medical profession is facing a great attack from the amorphous association called JOHESU. The current strike bear witness to this. Another dimension surface recently and that is the approval by NUC of MLS.D (Doctor of Medical Laboratory Science) program. A detailed review of the curriculum revealed that it is exact photocopy of the medical curriculum apart from surgery. It also contains other courses like entrepreneurship, computer science, core mathematics, law among others. This is the realisation of the 5 years strategic plans of MLS (2013-2018), most of the contents have been achieved and more are still coming before the end of the year. Also the old MLS will undertake a year or 2 years program to get converted to MLS.D and become medical (Lab Science ) doctor or medical doctor.

So what are the challenges that this MLS.D curriculum will pose to medicine and medical practice in Nigeria? Number one, with regard to the content of the curriculum vis-a-vis gross anatomy, embryology, histology, physiology, biochemistry and pathology; Nigeria will now have two set of medical doctors that is the Medical ( Laboratory Science ) Doctor and the MBBS medical doctor. This will be a great confusion for patients.

Secondly, the phrase " medically qualified " will be challenged again, trust the MLS -they will buy court verdict to be regarded as "medically qualified". The effects of this is the extension of the privileges of MBBS medical doctors to MLS medical doctors. This Include CMD/MD post among others.

Another issue is displacement of pathologists totally from the laboratory since according to their curriculum they will be trained to interpret laboratory results. Recall, that the NICN verdict of 2016 was in favour of MLS and it stated that MLS are the legal owners and should head the medical lab ( NUAHP vs OAUTHC).

Another pathetic consequence will be opening of hospitals, YES - HOSPITALS by these new medical doctors. medical consultation and laboratory work will be done together (this is already in practice in part of Lagos ). Some said, but they will never get involve in surgeries. I laughed, in Nigeria where nurses, CHEW, even auxiliary nurses are doing surgeries; how much more an individual with basic medical knowledge -anatomy, physiology, pathology. Therefore, it is not only the Pathologists that are threatened but all MBBS doctors.

The other complication is pay parity - entry level into practice will be same with MBBS doctors since their course is also 6 years with robust curriculum if not more robust that mbbs curriculum.

The use of the title "Dr" will no longer be for MBBS doctors only since MLS are also medical doctors now,other doctors to content with are : Doctor of Pharmacy, Doctor of Optometry, Doctor Of Physiotherapy and Doctor of Nutrition and Dietetics (the last too are coming up). May be Doctor of Nurses too. So the question will now be -who is "the doctor ". The privileges and honour accorded to MBBS medical doctors by the society will be extended to these "doctors ". These will include political appointment, headship of health institutions etc.

So what is the way out? There are solutions to the attack, I will rather share it on a round table with Hippocratic colleagues but NMA, MDCN, ARD, MDCAN, NIGERIA ACADEMY OF PATHOLOGISTS, THE MEDICAL ELDERS, DOCTORS IN POLITICS AND OTHER RELEVANT STAKEHOLDERS should convene and EMERGENCY gathering within the next one month to brainstorm on the way forward.

Concerned MBBS MEDICAL DOCTOR ( FETHI IDO-EKITI ) 23/05/2018

You are ignorant and wallow in delusions.

Let us take into cognizance the aetiology of the word 'doctor'. I'm very sure you are not lettered enough to understand that the word 'doctor' was derived from the latin 'docere' which means 'to teach' NOT 'to teach'. So fundamentally physicians borrowed it from teachers of medieval times. This is something your failed lecturers never deem fit to tell in you in classroom, so you'll embarrasingly get the lecture out of school and free too.

D.MLS is a professional doctorate obtainable in UK and US. Even Ghana have been running D.MLS for years.

Even lawyers with LL.D or Juris.D are called doctors.

Pharmacists with Pharm.D are called doctors.

Physiotherapists with D.PT have the right to use the title.

Doctors of Nursing practice (DNP) all over in the US.

To name a few. So what's your point? Why do you feel challenged, or does your 'feel good' complex depend on the trivialization and attempted down grading of other professions?

The job description of every profession is clearly stated and delineated by the council acts that establishes them, but we know it is mainly the physicians who wants to perpetrate the biggest illegalities in the health sector by wanting to delve unethically into the jobs of other professionals.

They set up mushroom hospitals and train quacks calling them 'Auxilliary nurse' without approval from the nursing council.

They set up medical laboratories without approval from the Medical Lab Council.

They set up chemists/pharmacies with registration with the PCN.

Run X-ray centres with quacks who are not Radiographers.

The lawlessness of physicians is the cause of the rot in the health sector. This is a fact that must be spoken. They have held sway for more than 35 years since the days of physician Ransome-Kuti as minister of health when he enthroned tyranny in the health sector. Since then, the health indices of the country have been on a constant downward spiral. Today nigeria now has the poorest health indices in the world better only than the like of war torn south sudan.

There is a reason, advanced countries like US, UK, Canada have non-physicians administrators as their ministers/secrataries of Health.

All the gains made by Prof. Eyitayo a non-physician health minister, have all gone down the drain today. Physicians are today only interested in wearing wardcoats into restaurants, spreading nosocomial infections and telling the government what to pay Pharmacists, Scientists, Nurses, physiotherapists etc. Laughable!

The cry of halidon and hyenas.

Not again.

Even in the US where we run to for better healthcare, they have both allopathic and osteopathic doctors working side by side including the doctors of all the other health disciplines.
The windstorm is brewing and the table is been shaked. ..MBBS is feeling so threatened.

phase1:



You are ignorant and wallow in delusions.

Let us take into cognizance the aetiology of the word 'doctor'. I'm very sure you are not lettered enough to understand that the word 'doctor' was derived from the latin 'docere' which means 'to teach' NOT 'to teach'. So fundamentally physicians borrowed it from teachers of medieval times. This is something your failed lecturers never deem fit to tell in you in classroom, so you'll
embarrasingly get the lecture out of school and free too.

D.MLS is a professional doctorate obtainable in UK and US. Even Ghana have been running D.MLS for years.

Even lawyers with LL.D or Juris.D are called doctors.

Pharmacists with Pharm.D are called doctors.

Physiotherapists with D.PT have the right to use the title.

Doctors of Nursing practice (DNP) all over in the US.

To name a few. So what's your point? Why do you feel challenged, or does your 'feel good' complex depend on the trivialization and attempted down grading of other professions?

The job description of every profession is clearly stated and delineated by the council acts that establishes them, but we know it is mainly the physicians who wants to perpetrate the biggest illegalities in the health sector by wanting to delve unethically into the jobs of other professionals.

They set up mushroom hospitals and train quacks calling them 'Auxilliary nurse' without approval from the nursing council.

They set up medical laboratories without approval from the Medical Lab Council.

They set up chemists/pharmacies with registration with the PCN.

Run X-ray centres with quacks who are not Radiographers.

The lawlessness of physicians is the cause of the rot in the health sector. This is a fact that must be spoken. They have held sway for more than 35 years since the days of physician Ransome-Kuti as minister of health when he enthroned tyranny in the health sector. Since then, the health indices of the country have been on a constant downward spiral. Today nigeria now has the poorest health indices in the world better only than the like of war torn south sudan.

There is a reason, advanced countries like US, UK, Canada have non-physicians administrators as their ministers/secrataries of Health.

All the gains made by Prof. Eyitayo a non-physician health minister, have all gone down the drain today. Physicians are today only interested in wearing wardcoats into restaurants, spreading nosocomial infections and telling the government what to pay Pharmacists, Scientists, Nurses, physiotherapists etc. Laughable! Oga u try

Oga you try wella

JoannaSedley:
The cry of halidon and hyenas.

Not again.

Even in the US where we run to for better healthcare, they have both allopathic and osteopathic doctors working side by side including the doctors of all the other health disciplines.
The windstorm is brewing and the table is been shaked. ..MBBS is feeling so threatened.

Kai now sister why are you shaking tables