Doctors, Medical Personnel Fight over UCH Top Job

Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu, Health Minister

A crisis of confidence is brewing between medical doctors and other medical personnel at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan on the filling of the vacant position of the Deputy Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee (DCMAC) of the hospital.

The Nigeria Union of Allied Health Care Professionals (NUAHCP) had last week at a press conference insisted that the post  of DCMAC of the hospital should not be monopolised by medical doctors but thrown opened to other medical personnel within the system, calling for caution so that the filling of the position would not rupture the cordial relationship between all professional bodies in the hospital.

The NUAHCP, comprising Pharmacists, Radiographers, Laboratory Technologists and, Physiotherapists, faulted the appointment of Laboratory Physician as DCMAC, insisting that one of their members should have been appointed.

But, taking a holistic view of the situation at a press briefing yesterday, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) averred that “if the idea of appointing a deputy for any officer is to have somebody that can step into the officer’s shoes when not available.

It noted that the only suitable person for the post of DCMAC was a medical doctor.
“Anything short of that is like appointing a carpenter to be the deputy of a pilot in an aeroplane,” the NMA said.

The NMA through its chairman, Prof. Adefolarin Malomo, pointed out that the prevailing problem was caused by the change in the designation from Medical Laboratory Technologist to Medical Laboratory Scientist without retraining or changes in capability.