The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Pharmacists

  • Pharmacists’ patriotic call

    The nation must take their warning seriously

    President of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Maxi Sam Ohuabunwa’s call on the government to match its words with action by patronising Nigerian pharmaceutical industry, though seemingly innocuous, is very worrisome. This is because the government ought to be the one admonishing citizens to patronise made-in-Nigeria pharmaceutical products and ought to be seen to be leading by example, by having these pharmaceutical products in government hospitals and affiliated agencies.

    In contrast, however, we have consistently outsourced the healthcare of our government officials who time and again travel abroad for medical tourism. Beyond this very worrisome situation, we recall the alarm raised by the wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, and her daughter, Zahra, about the Aso Rock Clinic being bereft of drugs and other minor facilities that a clinic of its status ought to have.

    The government must first provide the needed infrastructure that would aid productivity not only for the pharmaceutical industry but for all sectors of the economy because of the chain effect. Drug production in the 21st century has gone beyond the mundane.

    Beyond infrastructure, it is a known fact that the country is suffused with fake and substandard and adulterated imported drugs which the late National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control’s (NAFDAC) director-general, Professor Dora Akunyili, brought to global focus. It does seem the light has been extinguished by her death. We expect the government to take seriously the issue of our porous borders that provide easy access to the merchants of death who regularly bring in fake drugs to a population that is largely poor and illiterate.

    The government must begin to take a holistic view and stand on the nation’s health sector. No country can progress without a healthy and well-educated population. The PSN president enumerated in his presentation the implication of a country without health security. It must be known that no exporter nation cares so much about another nation’s survival beyond the transactional benefits. It therefore implies that there must be a deliberate effort by the Nigerian government to support, with all seriousness, the pharmaceutical industry in Nigeria for the benefit of the people. A country with one of the lowest life expectancies in the world must have an urgent introspection.

    Most developed countries guard their local industries seriously such that making them viable and productively active are often made campaign issues that determine the success or failure of candidates.

    However, government patronage cannot be seen as an end in itself; there must be requisite political will to police our borders, increase production of local raw materials, invest in education and research, provide all needed support for the sector to flourish and produce the needed drugs. It must never be taken for granted that the influx of fake and illicit drugs like tramadol and codeine that are decimating the youth population also flood the country through dubious drug importers.

    There is a weird sense of acquiescence to accept and promote foreign economies and in particular their healthcare services when our government officials and families fly abroad to access their functional medical system. In a way, it shows the highest form of health insecurity as we outsource the health of our leaders that should be national treasures to foreigners that have no emotional or political allegiance to our citizens.

    The PSN call must be taken seriously and the needed action taken to save what is left of our almost prostrate healthcare sector that has seen needless deaths and incapacitations of the population, after all, as the saying goes, a healthy nation is a wealthy nation.

  • Pharmacists challenge council on more spaces for interns, other issues

    Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists of Nigeria (AHAPN) has challenged the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) on the provision of more spaces for fresh pharmacy graduates due for internship.

    The association said it is no longer news that pharmacy graduates roam the streets in search of nonexistent spaces for their mandatory one year internship, which has assumed a worrisome dimension. The body made this known when it paid a courtesy visit on PCN Registrar, Elijah A.  Mohammed, in Abuja.

    While presenting him an award for the innovations introduced in steering the ship of the council forward, which included the introduction of online registration and renewal of annual licenses by pharmacists, which has removed the bottlenecks surrounding manual registration, he was also commended for the introduction of Online Mandatory Continuing Professional Development (MCPD).

    According to AHAPN National Chairman, Dr. Kingsley Chiedu Amibor, innovations introduced by the registrar have improved the efficiency of the learning process, and saved valuable time and resources for pharmacists, who had to travel long distances to participate in the programme in different states and zones of the country with the attendant risks.

    The Registrar was equally commended for strengthening pharmaceutical inspectorate activities nationwide, which have resulted in the closure of many illegal and unregistered premises, which before now, had served as reservoir for unwholesome and adulterated medicines.

    They association also commended the robust relationship that exists between the PCN and the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN). The association equally commended efforts being made at reviewing the obsolete pharmacy laws.

    While commending the PCN for authoring the document for central placement of interns, it observed that the process has not commenced yet, resulting in untold hardship for graduates and parents, who are compelled to keep catering for their children and wards years after leaving school.

    Dr. Amibor said: “We believe the PCN is in a position to enforce legislation that will compel industries and employers of labour in the country to absorb more interns in their various establishments for their training programme. The Council should also bring pressure to bear on the management of tertiary and other health institutions to increase the number of internship slots for pharmacy and other interns from other disciplines.

    “The Council is also encouraged to increase the number of community pharmacies accredited to train pharmacy interns in their various community outlets. And of course, universities, research institutes and pharmaceutical industries should be allocated a minimum number of slots for internship placement.”

    The association urged the Council to be decisive on matters of accreditation of health care institutions intending to establish pharmacy departments in their hospitals.

    “What we are simply saying is that the PCN should put its feet down and insist on following specifications when it comes to inspection or accreditation of health care institutions, since pharmacy practice would be better off for it. Similarly, we are aware that most private hospitals in Nigeria do not have pharmacists in their employment. I had the privilege of visiting one of such big private hospital, and asked for the pharmacist on duty, only to be told that the pharmacist does not work during the weekends. So, who covers the pharmacy at such times?” Dr. Amibor asked.

    The association also lamented the acute shortage of pharmacists in government hospitals and healthcare institutions in Nigeria.  ”It is a common knowledge that there is paucity of pharmacists covering the various health institutions in Nigeria, including those at federal, state and private levels. This trend can no longer be allowed to continue. It also falls short of the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended standard of 1 pharmacist per 2000 population. The matter is worse with government hospitals. We urge the PCN to champion advocacy for employment of more pharmacists in government hospitals in Nigeria, in collaboration with PSN and AHAPN.”

    The Association touched on the mismanagement of Drug Revolving Fund scheme in various hospitals nationwide.

    Amibor said: “We wish to bring to your notice the impunity going on with the management of drug revolving funds by government hospitals across the country. Some chief medical directors are resorting to buying pharmaceutical consumables from the open drug market; some others are encouraging store attendants to bye-pass pharmacists and issue medicines directly to end users. This practice is definitely not acceptable to us and must be discouraged.

    “Several resolutions were taken at the recently concluded 20th Annual National Scientific Conference of AHAPN in Port Harcourt, which had as its theme: ‘Functional Drug Revolving Funds for Sustainable Medicines Availability and National Security.”

    Another area of concern to the association was the exclusion of pharmacy students from clinical rotation in government hospitals. “Patient care globally is a collaborative practice; hence no group or individual should lay claim to ownership of patients, especially in government hospitals. We urge the PCN to immediately enter into discussion with relevant authorities to remove all hindrances and bottlenecks against pharmacy students from acquiring hands-on experience in their various places of learning,” Dr. Amibor said.

    The association further sought the Council’s assistance in its resolve to adopt and implement pharmaceutical care as a philosophy of practice in Nigeria.

    Other areas included government sponsorship of pharmacists for the doctor of pharmacy conversion programme; appropriate placement of holders of doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) degree in the scheme of service for pharmacists, in line with international best practice; release of Consultancy Circular for fellows of the West African Post Graduate College of Pharmacists (WAPCP), which is long overdue, and removal of all forms of career stagnation involving members in government hospitals.

    The association pleaded with the Registrar to encourage his pharmacy staff, who are automatic members of the association, to identify with all the activities embarked upon by the association.

    The association also decried the practice of non pharmacists taking over the jobs of qualified ones.  “We are aware that all kinds of people are taking over jobs hitherto reserved for pharmacists as medical representatives in industries. Although this does not affect us directly as hospital and administrative pharmacists, nevertheless, we are pharmacists and we are not at all impressed that charlatans and mediocres are taking over jobs meant for our colleagues. We urge the Council to look into this trend with a view to putting a stop to it.”

    The team included Peter Iliya, Deputy Director, Public Relations; Baba Shehu Ahmed, Director Planning, Research and Statistics; Anthony Idoko, Deputy Director Education and Training; Mr. K.I. Munir, Deputy Director, Administration and Mr. O. A. Wefayo, Director Finance and Accounts.

    On lack of internship space for fresh pharmacy graduates, the registrar said the PCN was the first to write for central placement of interns, but the process was hijacked. He said the council was deeply worried about the plight of fresh graduates and was weighing the various options before the Council. One of such options is to treat the interns in the same way as corps members (National Youth Service Corp members), they are pulled out of the general salary structure, and placed on monthly allowances.

    Other options according to him included opening of more spaces in industries and community pharmacies and encourage universities to return their best graduates for the internship programme. He mentioned that there are over 300 outlets accredited for internship, but they are obviously grossly inadequate. He promised that the number of spaces would definitely increase next year.

    On inspection of hospitals, he said inspectorate teams are now being headed by professors, promising that AHAPN members will subsequently be included in the teams. He also touched on the need for harmony in the healthcare sector, promising that he would be meeting with the leadership of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in this regard.

    He mentioned that all the 46 legal cases pending before the Council at the instance of NAPPMED had been dispensed with, and the Council was now free from legal encumbrances. He added that patent medicine vendors are already being regulated by the council.

    Mohammed promised that the Council will support the adoption of pharmaceutical care as a philosophy of Pharmacy practice, pledging that non-governmental organisations (NGOs) will be recruited to assist.

    For pharmacists employed in the pharmaceutical firms, the Registrar said there is a new law awaiting presidential consent that will mandate all such firms to register with the PCN. According to him, it will make for ethical products to be handled strictly by pharmacists. The new law will also address codeine abuse.

    The Registrar promised that  Drug Revolving Fund (DRF) will be addressed more seriously next year. He regretted how pharmacy students are being denied access to patients bedside by hospital management, despite international best practice, promising that the Council will look into it with a view to working out an amicable solution together with other stakeholders.

    Mohammed commended the association for the Award bestowed on him and promised that the award will spur him to sacrifice more for the profession.

  • Pharmacists challenge government on drug policy, guidelines

    TO ensure food and drug safety, the government should implement the National Drug Policy,  promote local drug production,  reduce dependence on imported food and medicines, and implement, without further delay, the National Drug Distribution Guideline.

    This is the  stand of pharmacists across the country under their umbrella of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN).

    Its President, Alhaji Ahmed Yakasai, said it had become important to address significant threats posed byinadequate implementation of the National Drug Policy in general, and the national Drug  Distribution  Guideline, as evidenced  in the recent classified document being spread through the social media.

    Yakasai said the document identified drug products containing human remains from ‘fetuses, infants and flesh’, heavily contaminated with viruses (bio-hazards), which were smuggled into South Korea, via mail by Chinese nationals or local use. “As a matter of urgency, the government must implement the National Drug Policy”.

    To assist its members, the society has launched a Phama IT for online National Drug Distribution, based on (National Drug Distribution Guidelines) NDDG and PSNpay.

    Yakasai explained that Pharma IT NDDG platform is an online platform, which provides a distribution channel that is in consonance with the  National  Drug Distribution Guidelines.

    “The platform provides checks and balances  of  medicines from the manufacturers, thereby improving the distribution channel and enhancing the safety and efficacy of medicines,’ explained Yakasai, adding: “It is open to all pharmacists, and pharmaceutical outlets in the health-delivering value chain of the country.”

    He assured that the Phama IT NDDG platform will contribute immensely in the fight against fake, substandard, and falsified drugs in the county because every batch o medicines in the county can be traced. “It has been launched along PSNpay at Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja. The Pharma IT NDDG platform and PSNpay are powered by Chams Plc.,” said Yakasai.

    Shedding light on PSNpay, he said the collection process is manual, rigorous and prone to error, which needs to be disrupted. “PSNpay is an end-to-end automated payment/collection platform that will ultimately improve operational efficiency of PSN and its technical groups.”

    Among others, Yakasai said PSNpay promises to “improve on the current manual process of collections made by PSN members, reduce stress of capitation payment  by pharmacists, enhance transparency and accountability, avoid reconciliation issues, enhance reporting system, and improve efficiency”.

    The PSN President assured that as pharmacists, they are ready for promoting collaborative and responsive inter-professionalism in the health sector. “We sincerely believe that as healthcare practitioners, we must work together in the interest of the patients, in order to improve the quality of health of the nation, because together we are stronger. The leadership of Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Dr Francis Faduyile has led a delegation to pay a courtesy visit to PSN secretariat in Lagos. This clearly shows the new improved relationship between NAM and PSN, and in extension, among healthcare practitioners in the country,” said Yakasai.

    The society holds its conference in Ibadan, Oyo State from October 29  to November 3. Its theme is: “Innovative disruption in pharmacy in emerging economies; a roadmap for Nigeria”.

     

     

  • Pharmacists harp on drug revolving fund’s success

    THE government should  make viable the revolving fund for drugs in hospitals, the Association of Hospitals and Administrative Pharmacists of Nigeria (AHAPN) has said.

    The group made the call at its 20th Annual Scientific Conference held in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

    The event had as theme “Viable revolving fund for sustainable medicines availability and national security’’.

    In a communique after the conference, the association said: “Conference identified that lack of viable Drug Revolving Fund in hospitals compromises national security, as healthcare delivery is poor and attendant economic effects. However, where a viable Drug Revolving Fund (DRF) is in place, patient satisfaction with healthcare delivery is ensured, prescribers and dispensers have job satisfaction leading to less brain drain, as operators are well motivated. Medical tourism will also be drastically reduced.”

    Besides, the group suggested that the scheme should operate for about six months without interference, after which the profit accruable might be evaluated, adding that heads of pharmacy departments be made mandatory signatories to the drug revolving account.

    The conference listed the Operational Guidelines for Drug Revolving Fund (DRF) to include: Provision of adequate take off capital, appropriate training of operators, setting up of a Drug Revolving  Fund Committee, maintaining separate accounts with the head of department of Pharmacy as mandatory signatory.

    Others are protecting the integrity of the Drug Revolving Fund, abiding by cost-recovery policy, insuring stock in warehouse and freight, developing a guide on exemptions, Employing standard procurement guidelines, and Using appropriate accounting and inventory software.

    The body reiterated the concept of pharmaceutical care as: establishing and maintaining a professional relationship with the patient; collecting, organising, recording and maintaining patient specific medical information (both subjective and objective).

    Others are evaluating the information and developing a drug therapy plan with patients and  the patient’s other healthcare providers.

    The communique also said there was the need to ensure that  patient’s supplies (medicines and medical consumables) were available; review the plan and  outcomes as appropriate, in collaboration with the patient and healthcare team to help continuity of care.

    It called for the provision of drug information to patients, pharmacists and other healthcare providers, organising seminars and making presentations to educate healthcare providers and the patient.

    The pharmacists  said participating in quality improvement activities to assure safety of patients and participating in clinical research to aid in the improvement of practice.

    It examined the following barriers to the implementation of pharmaceutical care: pharmacists attitude and resistance to change; education and training and health systems barriers.

    The body enjoined pharmacists to embrace pharmaceutical care as add on to traditional roles. Despite the barriers, pharmacists must arm themselves with the relevant advanced knowledge and skills, the group added.

     

  • Pharmacists cry out over fake drugs

    The Association of Community Pharmacist of Nigeria (ACPN) has cried out over high rate of fake drugs.

    It vowed to work with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to tackle the problem.

    ACPN National President Samuel Adekola, who spoke in Akure, Ondo State, when he led members of his national executive for a thanksgiving at All Christian Fellowship Ministry, Federal University of Akure (FUTA) Assembly, Akure, after they were elected in Benin, Edo State, said such partnership between NAFDAC and community pharmacists nationwide would help the government to apprehend uncertified drug dealers.

    He said: “We will support NAFDAC, the government agency, which has the responsibility to fight counterfeit drugs. We will call on states to mobilise support from the governments to fight fake drugs.

    “ACPN will work with NAFDAC and Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria to ensure that the task force on fake and counterfeit drugs is fortified to be more functional.

    “I am happy we are starting from Ondo, my state. We have taken the campaign against fake drugs to the government. We appreciate them because Ondo State is taking a lead in the fight against fake drugs through the use of scanning machine. It is the only state that has the machine, which can detect fake drugs.”

  • Pharmacists tackle drug abuse

    The Lagos State Chapter of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) on Thursday kicked off its Pharmacy Week with a seminar on eradiation of drug abuse and misuse held at M2 Event Centre, Ogudu, Lagos.

    In her address, the chairperson of the PSN, Lagos State Chapter, Pharm (Mrs) Bolanle Adeniran, called for the creation of drug rehabilitation centres in the geographical zones of the country.

    She said: “The PSN must embrace immediate actions which will involve the establishment of six national rehabilitation centres in the six geo-political zones of the country as a matter of national urgency”.

    Adeniran thanked the National President of the PSN, Registrar of the body and other distinguished guests for their presence at the event.

    In his remark, the chairman of the occasion and Director of Pharmacy, Nigeria Army Pharmacy Corps, Brig. Gen P.D. Yusuf blamed the scourge of drug abuse and misuse on parents.

    He said: ”The PSN is discussing a very important problem which is affecting all of us. The major problem is the failure of the family, and there is a downward trend in traditional values which is to guide our youths. Pharmacists have to make sure these substances do not get into the wrong hands. As a security agency, we are doing our best, but there is a need to inform other security agencies involved in crime protection. We need to strengthen our border immigration too because if we don’t stop it now it(drug abuse) will ruin the whole society”.

    The immediate past President of the PSN, Pharm Olumide Akintayo, said the government needs to budget meaningful sums for the inspectorate process at the Pharmacist Council of Nigeria.

    The Deputy Director, Pharmacy, Lagos University Teaching Hospital(LUTH), Pharm Modupe Oyewole, noted that ‘’the menace is scary because it’s painful when you see these youths wasting away because they misuse these drugs and their youth is being taken away from them. So, I agree that there is a lot to be done by medical professions, especially the pharmacists, because we are talking about drugs so we need to do enlightenment.’’

  • Pharmacists campaign against drug abuse

    The Lagos State chapter of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) yesterday organized an awareness rally against drug abuse for residents.

    The rally themed, ‘’Threats to drug abuse’’ took off from the popular Allen Avenue and terminated at the Lagos State secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja, where participants paid a thank- you visit to the Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment, Pharm (Mrs) Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf, for her moral and financial support for the rally.

    Receiving branded souvenirs and T-shirts from the team, Akinbile-Yussuf, who was represented by one of her aides, Mrs Ronke Omokhodion said that she would always support initiatives that would help tackle and reduce drug abuse and other related issues confronting the pharmaceutical and health sector of the country.

    Speaking with The Nation shortly after the rally, chairperson of PSN, Lagos state chapter, Pharm (Mrs) Bolanle Adeniran said the essence of the rally was to sensitize and encourage the public to desist from drug misuse and abuse.

    She said: “The misuse of drugs is on the increase and people are dying. I believe that the more we sensitize the people, the more they would want to stop. We will continue until the desired result is achieved, we want the government to initiate proliferation of sale of drugs, and during this week the different technical groups (in PSN) will go to different areas of Lagos to talk about this same thing.

    In his words, the Publicity Secretary of the body, Kola Sunmonu, said: “The 2018 Pharmacy Week is a special one; we are reaching out to people on the street which this drug abuse is affecting.

    “The Pharmacist Council, which is the regulatory authority for practitioners, needs the help of government by funding the pharmacist council properly and ensuring that there is adequate monitoring and control. The National Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) also needs to up its games, because drugs are being hawked like chewing gums and candies; this is bad and the government should up its game on enforcement and regulation.’’

  • Pharmacists seek cheaper exchange rate for anti-malaria drugs

    Pharmacists have identified Nigerians’ inability to afford anti-malaria drugs as a major factor hindering the diseases eradication. Nigeria accounts for the world’s 30 per cent cases and deaths from malaria.

    According to Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) President, Ahmed Yakasai, the Federal Government should try its best and reduce foreign exchange (forex) rate of dollar to naira in order to enable the common man access quality health care and anti malaria drugs.

    Yakasai, who said this during a press conference to mark the world malaria day, which coincided with activities to commemorate the 70th anniversary of World Health Organisation (WHO), said: “Government needs to make the business environment more conducive and friendly for pharma businesses by instituting a reasonable tax regimes and make capital available and affordable by also instituting a cheaper exchange rate of not more than N200 for $1 as being done in other sector not as critical as pharmaceutical sector.”

    The theme of this year’s event is: “This World Malaria Day, we’re ready to beat malaria – are you?”

    The government, he said, must encourage research and development and kick off of petrochemical industries to encourage local production of drugs, adding that as long as 95 per cent of raw materials; active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), excipients and packaging materials for drugs are imported, the prices of medicines will continue to skyrocket.

    “If you clean your environment, mosquitoes still abound in the environment. And people still come down with malaria. I am still appealing to manufacturers and retailers to see malaria issue as a social service to the people. They should be kind enough to reduce their prices so that it will be affordable and accessible,”he said.

    He added: “I am happy with what the government signed when its representatives went for the commonwealth summit by agreeing to halve malaria cases by 50 per cent in the next five years. They want to reduce the death in African countries, especially the 11 countries plus Nigeria. Nigeria is going all out to collaborate with global fund to pay its counterpart funding, create awareness and distribute treated insecticide mosquito nets.

    “By working down FOREX more drugs will be available because production cost will reduce. In addition to this, Nigerians should be more health conscious and clean their environments to prevent malaria.”

    To encourage budding pharmacist in malaria elimination and tackle the widespread of malaria, Miral essay competition has been launched to engage young pharmacists and undergraduates in pharmacy. The topic is: “Ending malaria deaths in Africa: the challenges, the opportunities”.

    Miral Pharmaceuticals Managing Director,  Mr Onyeka Onyeibor, said the competition will help take on the possible solutions on the reduction of malaria as the deadly killer of about one thousand people every day. He added that the objective of the competition is to discover students and young health professionals, who do not only know about malaria, but effectively can communicate it to the global community as well as the Nigerian public.

    Onyeibor said the winner will be awarded a million naira while the Dean of the Faculty that produces the first prize winner will get N500.000. And the Dean of the Faculty that produces the highest number of participants will also get N500, 000.

    Meanwhile, “Ready to Beat Malaria”, the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Partnership to End Malaria, has urged governments, health bodies, private sector companies and the public to accelerate the progress against malaria, and make the World Malaria Day more vital.

    It noted that after a decade of success in pushing back malaria, it has been on the rise again and will come back with a vengeance if ‘we do not act decisively now’. “Half of the world is still threatened by malaria, an entirely preventable, treatable disease, which takes a child’s life every two minutes. Worldwide action is needed to meet the 2030 target of reducing malaria cases by at least 90 per cent.

    “We are delighted that more countries than ever, forty-four, are reporting less than 10,000 cases. However, we must ensure we continue to press forward to end malaria – not only in high- burden nations, but those on track to eliminate the disease. It is our global responsibility to consign malaria to the history books,” it stated.

  • Ogun, pharmacists, tackle drug abuse

    Drug abuse has done a lot of unredeemable harms to people, particularly youths, Ogun State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Babatunde Ipaye, has said.

    The commissioner made the remark during a sensitisation programme help by the state’s Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Association of Lady Pharmacists (ALPs) Ogun State Chapter  to educate youths on the dangers inherent in the use of illicit drugs.

    Speaking at the event held at the Pharmaceutical Services of Nigeria House, Abiola Way, Abeokuta, the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Babatunde Ipaye said drug abuse has done a lot of unredeemable harms to people, particularly youths, saying the programme would serve as one of the interventions aimed at discouraging them from taking illicit drugs.

    ‘’Let me start by saying that this programme is very imperative at this time, considering what is going on in our society, drug abuse has done a lot of harm to our people, particularly the  youth. This programme is organised to orientate youths at all levels about the menace of drug abuse in the future and promising career of our upcoming generation,’’ Ipaye said.

    Speaking at the occasion, the Chairman, Ogun State Drug Abuse Control Committee, who is also the Director of Pharmaceutical Services, Ministry of Health, Pharmacist Olufemi Fafiolu, said the State government in conjunction with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) was fighting against the intake of hard drugs so as to have a society free from moral decadence.

    He enjoined parents and guardians to always be vigilant and observe uncommon developments and behaviour in their wards, such as bloodshot eyes, wide voice, rugged looks, sagging etc, saying such observation would help in determining whether their children or wards are engaging in unwholesome acts.

    In her remarks, the Chairperson, Association of Lady Pharmacists, Mrs. Bose Idowu, lauded the state government for its unrelenting effort towards ensuring a drug free society, said apart from preventive measures put in place by ALPs, it was also building a rehabilitation centre in Abeokuta to help people who are already addicted, urging the well- to- do in the society to assist in order to have drug free communities.

    Delivering a lecture, the Principal Staff Officer, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Mr Sardauna Abdullahi, submitted that drug abuse was one of the global challenges which many countries of the world are trying hard to tackle, adding that, the use of illicit drugs has led to various social vices like terrorism, kidnapping, rape and cultism, saying, unless drastic solution was given, the socio-economic and political future of our great country would be in jeopardy.

  • Medical Professionals reject Health Insurance Scheme

    Medical Professionals reject Health Insurance Scheme

    Medical professionals including Pharmacists, Medical laboratory Scientists and Nurses in Ondo State have rejected some aspects of the State Contributory Health Scheme bill pending before the State House of Assembly.

    They described the bill as oppressive, highly discriminatory and misleading.

    At a news conference in Akure, the state capital yesterday,the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria (AMLSN) and the National Association of Nurses and Midwives of Nigeria (NANMN) said membership and chairmanship of the proposed the Board of the Health Insurance Scheme should be opened to all health professionals rather than only medical doctors as proposed in the bill.

    Speaking on behalf of the Health Professional Representatives, Pharmacist Samuel Adekola who is also the National Vice Chairman of PSN, noted that the health professionals’ bodies equally demanded prohibition of global capitation as a means of payment in the implementation of the Scheme.

    Adekola said they had made their position known to the state House of Assembly and the Speaker, Bamidele Oloyelogun through a paper presentation at a public hearing on the bill.

    He called on the lawmakers to make necessary correction to the bill before passage.

    His words”We strongly advocate for the deletion of the Mis-leadings definition of Medical Practitioner as captured in the draft bill.

    Since, the decree 10 of 1985 which stipulates that only medical practitioners are medically qualified to be heads of medical institutions in Nigerian is well known to be highly discriminatory, sectional, oppressive and limiting the right of individual health professional in attaining administrative positions, and in any case the obstinate decree is currently being challenged in court”

    Adekola said, “We equally recommend that the board as stipulated in the draft bill be changed to Agency and be headed by chairman who must be a person of proven integrity and a professional in any field of Health”.

    “The composition of the board must reflect representatives of the four major health Services professional bodies namely NANMN, AMSLN, NMA and PSN”.

    He recommended the prohibition of global capitation as a means of payment at any given time under any disguise in the implementation of the scheme.

    According to him, the operational guidelines must strictly adhere to this prohibition.