Important information from the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria

The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) hereby

draws the attention of the Medical and Dental

practitioners, their employers, stakeholders and the

general public to its publication on the above subject in

the Guardian and Daily Trust Newspapers of 10th

November 2014, and reminds all, of the following

information as contained in the said publication:

The Council 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

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 fulltime

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

managed by a full time private practitioner. 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 or

dental facility.

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 practitioners 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 hereNoah Olaomo:

under:

“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, Dsc, mni

Registrar