The Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) Monday recommended that only doctorate degree holders in the health sector should exclusively use the title of doctor.
It called for the amendment of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) to end the use of the title of doctor for all categories of medical practitioners.
This, according to it, was because, in the health sector, doctor-based programmes are “professional degrees and not doctorate.”
The JOHESU stated this position in its recommendations on the proposed MDCN Act 2020 submitted to the National Assembly, a copy of the memo was made available to Daily Trust.
It noted that “the Ph.D. or Doctor of Philosophy is the highest graduate degree awarded by universities and in the most ideal of situations remain the cadre that should use the title Dr. exclusively.”
In the recommendation, JOHESU called for the amendment of Section 42(1), which says “Subject to subsection (4) of this section, no person other than a registered medical practitioner shall (b) take or use the title of physician, surgeon, doctor or licentiate of medicine, medical practitioner, or apothecary.
Also, sector 42(2) said, “Subject to section (4) of this section, no person other than a registered dental surgeon shall (b) take or use the title of a dental surgeon, doctor, dentist, dental officer or dental practitioner.”
But JOHESU is seeking the amendment of section 42(1) b to read (b) “take or use the title of physician, surgeon or licentiate of medicine or medical practitioner.”
It also wants section 42(2) b to read, “Take or use the title of a dental surgeon, dentist, dental officer or dental practitioner.”
Daily Trust reports that if the recommendation is approved, the title of doctor for all medical practitioners would be abolished while only those who have bagged doctorate in their respective disciplines would be addressed as ‘Doctor.”
