*NUC And Consultant Doctors Reach Agreement Over Academic Requirements*

Dear NEC Member and colleagues,

RE- FELLOWSHIP VERSUS PHD CRISIS

Following the intervention of the Chairman, House Committee on Health and the House Committees on Healthcare Services and Tertiary Education, a mediation meeting was brokered between the MDCAN and NUC. Initial discussions which commenced in plenary on Tuesday 3rd of March, 2020 and continued at committee level on Wednesday 4th of March, 2020. Present at the meeting today were the representatives of the House Committees on Healthcare Services and House Committee on Tertiary Education, NUC team led by the ES, Prof. Rasheed Ibrahim, the Chairman Committee of VCs, Chairman Committee of Provosts of Colleges of Medicine, Representative of the Registrar MDCN, Representative of the NPMCN, President of NMA and the MDCAN team led by the President.

At the end of the meeting, the following resolutions were reached:
1.That the Fellowship is the highest qualification for clinical specialists and remains the qualification for employment for clinical lecturers into the University (Lecturer I)

2.That the PhD is the highest academic qualification in the University

3.That the possession of PhD by clinical lecturers is voluntary and optional

4.That non- possession of PhD will not hinder the clinical lecturer from being promoted from one rank to the other up to the level of Professor in the Nigerian University system

5.That the NUC circular of 24th December 2019 creates room for wrongful interpretation to mean that those without PhD will not enjoy career progression and is to be therefore replaced by a fresh circular without such ambiguity
In the course of the discussion, a lot of technical issues arose surrounding the relative roles of key stakeholders such as the Universities, NPMCN and the MDCN.

It was agreed that the NUC should issue a fresh document to correct the impression created by the previous circular especially with respect to points 4 & 5 above, and an appeal was made to MDCAN to call of its strike (withdrawal of services) while discussions will continue concerning sundry matters affecting consultants at the committee level.
Consequently, the NUC has availed us of a fresh document today to supersede the previous one correcting the wrong impressions earlier created.
We have however clearly impressed on the committee that NEC is the only organ of the Association with the powers to take decisions on the strike. It is the belief of NOC that sufficient progress has been made to warrant an emergency NEC to examine the offer at hand, analyze the matters arising and re- strategize on the way forward.
Notice for an emergency NEC meeting will be sent for Saturday, 7th March, 2020 in Abuja. NEC members are strongly urged to attend as there are more issues emerging which are of interest to MDCAN beyond the current PhD issue.

Thank you,


Signed
Prof. Ken Ozoilo Dr. M. P. Chingle
President Secretary General

Cc
dominique
Sissy3

Sounds better and I hope NUC will issue a fresh communique to correct the earlier one. PhD after all the years of rigorous residency training is a NO NO.

backnbeta:
PhD after all the years and rigorous residency training is a NO NO.

Abi. NUC was just wasting time. Now the hapless medical students have lots weeks in training all cos of NUC

jaephoenix:

Abi. NUC was just wasting time. Now the hapless medical students have lots weeks in training all cos of NUC

Don't mind them! They go through all the stress of PhD, plus part one and two exams, they write national and West Africa, they work like jackals under very poor condition for a minimum of 5 years!