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Tag: Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN)

  • PSN to Federal Government: end favouritism in health sector

    PSN to Federal Government: end favouritism in health sector

    The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) has accused the Federal Government of bias and apathy in the administration of the nation’s health sector.

    The body of the nation’s registered pharmacists alleged that persistent favouritism towards doctors has continued to undermine fairness, harmony, and efficiency in healthcare delivery.

    The society stated this while addressing reporters yesterday at its national secretariat in Anthony Village, Lagos, ahead of its 98th Annual National Conference (DABO 2025).

    PSN President Ayuba Tanko Ibrahim said the government’s one-sided policies have deepened disunity among professionals and stifled the growth of other critical health disciplines.

    He urged the Federal Government to “end all forms of favouritism in the health sector and ensure a level playing field for all professionals,” insisting that pharmacy and other allied health professions deserve equal recognition and opportunities.

    “There has been too much bias in the management of our health system, and it is time to correct this,” Ibrahim said. “We need a health system that rewards competence, not connections. Pharmacists play a crucial role in healthcare delivery, and their welfare must reflect that reality.”

    The PSN President decried the growing exodus of pharmacists from Nigeria, saying over 8,200 professionals had failed to renew their licences in the past five years due to poor welfare and limited opportunities.

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    “This brain drain threatens the future of healthcare delivery in Nigeria and must be urgently addressed in the national interest,” he warned.

    Ibrahim also faulted the proposed salary relativity between the Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) and the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS), describing it as unjust, divisive, and contrary to existing agreements with the Federal Government.

    “This proposal, if allowed, will further deepen inequality in the system. The PSN and JOHESU will resist any attempt to entrench such an immoral and unlawful policy,” he said. “Otherwise, it becomes meaningless to study any other health course apart from Medicine.”

    Ibrahim also condemned what he called the government’s “selective approach” to healthcare development, stressing that pharmacists must be included in national policy planning and implementation to build a sustainable and efficient system.

    “Pharmacy is a critical pillar of healthcare delivery,” he stated. “Any government that marginalises pharmacists or treats them as an afterthought is weakening the foundation of the health sector.”

    Commenting on the establishment of new Universities of Medicine and Medical Sciences, the PSN President described the concept as discriminatory and unconstitutional, arguing that it promotes professional imbalance.

    “The idea of naming new institutions as Universities of Medicine is misleading and unconstitutional,” he said. “It wrongly suggests that medicine is superior to other health professions, which is not true. Every discipline in the sector is essential to quality healthcare delivery.”

    Ibrahim also announced the Society’s plans for its Centenary Celebration (1927–2027), which will highlight pharmacy’s contributions to national development.

    He said the forthcoming 98th Annual Conference, with the theme: Pharmacy Forward: Building a Future-Ready Workforce for Performance, Collaboration, and Transformation, scheduled for November 3 to 8 at Bayero University, Kano (BUK), will bring together policymakers, industry leaders, and global partners to redefine the future of pharmacy in Nigeria.

    “This conference is not just another event, it is a movement to build a future-ready, collaborative, and impactful pharmacy profession,” he stated.

    Present at the briefing were Ezeh Ambrose Igwekamma (National Chairman of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria, ACPN), and Sir Anthony Bola Oyawole (Treasurer of the Nigerian Academy of Pharmacy and former Chairman of PSN Lagos Branch).

  • Five rights that ensure medication safety, by PSN

    There are five basic rights that must be followed at all times before medication safety can be assured, the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) has said.

    This was the thrust of a message by PSN to commemorate this year’s World’s Pharmacists Day.

    According to the PSN President, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, the five rights are ensuring the right dose of the right medication is administered to the right patient at the right time and by the right route. As simple as this may appear, he warned that such rights are personalised for each patient, since they are modified by demography, health condition, physiological status and possible allergies.

    All over the world, the world pharmacists’ day is marked yearly in September to appreciate the immeasurable roles pharmacists play in the healthcare delivery system, with this year’s theme being, “safe and effective medicines for all.” According to the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), the theme seeks to highlight the role of pharmacists in ensuring patients’ safety through improved medicines use and reduced medication errors (adverse drug events that occur when exposure to a medication results in harm). Among other functions, pharmacists affect patients’ safety in ensuring access to medication, supplying medication information, evaluating medication appropriateness, improving medication adherence, providing health and wellness services, medication management and assessing health status of patients.

    “Pharmacists have continued to perform their traditional role of drug production and dispensing, but the paradigm shift towards a more patient-oriented practice has necessitated the adoption and embrace of pharmaceutical care by all settings of the pharmacy practice, from drug formulation to production, analysis, distribution and dispensing. Pharmacists must be intricately involved in all of these for the integrity of the system to be guaranteed. Pharmacists use their specialised skills to affect the health outcome of patients. Effective medicines will be able to produce the intended or expected outcome when responsibly provided,” Ohuabunwa said.

    To ensure safe and effective medicines for all Nigerians, the PSN president said there are things that require urgent attention. Pharmaceutical care needs to be promoted wholly by health policymakers, applied by all pharmacists and embraced by all stakeholders, he said. There also needs to be better controls so that ethical and psychotropic drugs will be taken away from the streets. For all this to happen, Ohuabunwa said the pharmacy bill needs to be signed into law. He also called for more serious regulation of medicines because drugs are potential poisons, which need to be handled with adequate knowledge.

    The industrialist also asked for more training for pharamcists, improved infrastructure such as transportation and electricity to ease the burdens of the local pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. “Health is dynamic and pharmacists need training and retraining to retool for emerging and reemerging health problems. Improvement in transportation and electricity will have a big effect on the delivery of safe and effective medicines to Nigerians through timely delivery of pharmaceutical products and adequate storage temperature, especially for cold chain products like vaccines and other heat sensitive products.

    “Pharmacists in Nigeria are not adequately remunerated given the tasking and sensitive role they play in healthcare delivery. The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria will continue to encourage pharmacists, through capacity building and professional development to provide safe and effective medicines to Nigerians. We have strived to do that in the past, sacrificially doing it today and will willinglydo it tomorrow,” Ohuabunwa said.

  • Pepsodent praised for promoting oral hygiene

    Pepsodent praised for promoting oral hygiene

    Speakers at the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) have praised Pepsodent, produced by Unilever for promoting oral hygiene.    The PSN made the disclosure during its 90th annual conference in Umuahia, Abia State, from the 6th to 10th of November. Speakers at the event emphasized the importance of excellent oral hygiene, and focusing on the importance of brushing twice daily.

    With theme: Medicines Availability and National Security, the conference featured discussions on a personal approach to combat tooth ache and plaque build-up, as health experts at the event deliberated on measures to address health issues such as the prevalence of gum disease and tooth decay in Nigeria.

    In a statement, the Brand Manager, Pepsodent, Ogechukwu Anozie stated that with the organisation’s key mission to be a dependable healthcare provider of quality, safe and cost effective drugs and health information in the country.

    She said that Pepsodent, as a leading health vendor, strongly supports the responsibility of securing faster and equitable access to oral healthcare for all Nigerians.

    “Unilever is committed to doing business in a sustainable way and improving the lives of the Nigerian people, and our partnership with the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria is intended to create awareness about the importance of maintaining good oral hygiene” she concluded.

    Through the Pepsodent Brush Day & Night School Programme, the brand has a long term goal to improve the oral health of ten million children in the country by 2020. One of the highlights during the conference was the launch of the new close up variant ‘Cool Breeze’, a new toothpaste from Unilever that contains anti-bacteria mouthwash formula to gives cool and fresh breath for 12 hours.

  • ‘Boost economy by making drugs’

    ‘Boost economy by making drugs’

    Nigerian pharmacists yesterday urged the Federal Government to follow their four steps to transform the drug manufacturing industry and boost the economy.

    They called for a special foreign exchange rate to drug manufacturing companies to enable them import raw materials.

    The pharmacists urged the government to stop foreign donors from importing drugs, create drug manufacturing industrial estates, patronise local drug manufacturers, instead of issuing local purchase orders (LPOs) to politicians for the supply of foreign drugs.

    They said these are among steps the government could take to make drug manufacturing boost the economy.

    Chairman of the state Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Mr Abiodun Ajibade, and other members addressed reporters in Ibadan, the state capital, at the society’s Pharmacy Week.

    The PSN state chairman noted that the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector is a multi-billion dollar business with the capacity to boost job and wealth creation.

    He said reducing the exchange rate for drug raw materials is among key steps the government could take to leverage on potential of the sector.

    According to him, foreign donors, who already have five centres in Nigeria for drug support, should be stopped from importing more drugs that can be made in Nigeria.

    Ajibade said: “The pharmaceutical industry has been the major economic frontiers of some nations. If in Nigeria we take steps to empower the pharmaceutical sector, our story will change. The current exchange rate of over N370 to a dollar is not going to help our economy. We cannot continue to export our fund all in the name of procuring medicines from abroad and expect same money to cause local industrial revolution.

    “The various tiers of government spend heavily on drug provisions and out-of-pocket spending on drugs by average Nigerians is not a small amount. If our drugs are sourced locally, we can imagine great fortune awaits us…”

     

  • PSN calls on FG to increase scope of NHIS

    PSN calls on FG to increase scope of NHIS

    Mr Ahmed Yakassai, President of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), has called on Federal Government to extend the scope of National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to cover more people at the grassroots.

    Yakassai made the call in Ilorin on Tuesday at the 2017 Pharmacy Week of Kwara State branch of PSN.

    The President of PSN was represented by Mr Lanre Alege of the Pharmacy Department, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH).

    Yakassai explained that inclusion of more people at the grassroots would afford the rural dwellers the opportunity to have access to quality healthcare services at affordable prices.

    “The Federal Government must live up to its responsibilities as the health sector needs serious turn around, ‘’he said.

    Yakassai revealed that there was a ratio of one person to 4,000 pharmacists in Nigeria.

    He pledged that the Nigerian Pharmacists would do everything possible to support the government in ensuring that NHIS scheme achieve the purpose for which it was established.

    “As a body saddled with the responsibility of dispensing and administering drugs among others, we have held series of meetings and consultations with relevant agencies.

    ‘’This is toward ensuring that safety and standard are not compromised,” he said.

    Speaking on the theme: “Quality Healthcare in Economic Recession: Role of Pharmacists,” Yakassai said the topic was apt.

    He said as people were striving to cope with the economic downtown, the provision of quality healthcare could not be compromised.

    PSN President commended Kwara Government for renovating five General Hospitals in the state and working to do more.

    In his address of welcome, the State Chairman of PSN, Mr Olayiwola Olusola commended the State House of Assembly for passing State Health Insurance Bill and the setting up of a committee for its implementation when passed into law by the Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed.

    The Chairman of the occasion, Alhaji Ahmed Raji, described economic recession in the country as a good avenue for people to think outside the box and be more creative and innovative.

    Raji is also the chairman of Kwara Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (KWACCIMA)

  • Strikes, rivalry among heath professionals unethical – Lambo

    Strikes, rivalry among heath professionals unethical – Lambo

    A former Minister of Health, Prof. Eyitayo Lambo, says unending rivalry among professionals and incessant strikes in the health sector are antithetical to the health of the nation and Nigerians.

    He also said health personnel poor attitude to work, endemic corruption and fraud had also rendered service delivery in the sector ineffective.

    Lambo spoke on Thursday at a symposium entitled, “Health of the Nation: The Imperative of Inter-Professional Collaboration.”

    The symposium which held at the University of Lagos was organised by the Nigerian Academy of Pharmacy (NAPharm) in partnership with Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN).

    “Nigeria’s health system, according to a World Health Organisation report, is very weak; the country is 187 of the 191 countries in the world rated for a poor health system.

    Unending rivalry which I call `beauty contest’ among health professionals instead of engaging in inter-professional collaboration is affecting the nation’s healthcare. Poor health workers’ attitude and incessant strikes with patients paying the price are serious challenges confronting the sector – Lambo said.

    Lambo, who called the shots in the ministry under the administration of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, however, called on health workers and professionals as well as their associations and unions to embrace inter-professional collaboration as a new culture to move the sector forward.

    “The road to the new concept is a long one, but it is achievable. There is the need for inter-professional education as well as knowledge and appreciation of the roles of other health professionals.

    “Professionals do not trust themselves and there is superiority being lorded over one another.

    “Throughout my tenure as minister, I worked towards putting an end to the rivalry that I call `beauty contest’ among the professionals – doctors, nurses, pharmacists, technologists etc.

    “There is an urgent need for change-management process and collaboration as a better strategy,’’ said the ex-health minister.

    Lambo stressed: “No one profession can deal with the complex demands of a patient, hence the need for coordination and collaboration.

    “Collaboration will improve the care of patients and service delivery in the country.’’

    He lamented the neglect of the achievements of the late Prof. Olikoye Ransom-Kuti, who according to him, gave the country one of the best health policies by defining the roles and responsibilities of the three tiers of government — primary (healthcare centres for local governments), secondary (hospitals for states) and tertiary (teaching hospitals for federal).

    Lambo said that primary healthcare was the weakest as malaria and other cases that could be treated at PHC level were being taken to the hospitals daily.

    “Primary healthcare delivery system is not working and it is the weakest. There is overcrowding in the hospitals for PHC cases like malaria.

    In a message to the occasion, Health Minister, Prof. Isaac Adewole, said the success of inter-professional collaboration depended on the working together of the various professionals.

    “Collaboration is not without its challenges; it should be included in the undergraduate curriculum for professionals to imbibe it,’’ said the minister, who was represented by Mrs Gloria Chukwuma.

    He pledged the support of the government to the actualisation of the concept in the overall interest of the nation’s health.

    In his remarks, the President of NAPharm, Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi, said the unhealthy rivalry among health professionals dated back to 1961, regretting that the nation had been unable to resolve the crisis.

    He called for a new spirit of teamwork by all professionals in health facilities.

    “Let us stop celebrating our differences, teamwork can stop whole unstoppable forces; else, the distractions will continue,’’ said Adelusi-Adeluyi, who served as Health Minister under the short-lived Interim National Government of Chief Enest Sonekan in 1993.

    He called for the setting up of inter-profession committee at the highest level of authorities to address the problem.

    A former President, Nigerian Academy of Engineering, Mr Vincent Maduka, said Nigerians travelling abroad for medical treatment were only criticising the nation’s healthcare system.

    “Nurses, doctors, pharmacists etc should be well paid to adequately take care of the patient’s health and the health of the nation.’’

    He also harped on inter-professional collaboration in the sector being championed by pharmacists in the country.