– Pharmacists launch war against fake, counterfeit drugs
The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria, ACPN, has described the Ondo State version of the Contributory Health Insurance Scheme Law as the most people centered and easy to implement in Nigeria.
National Chairman of the Association, Pharmacist Samuel Adekola, gave the kudos during a courtesy visit to the Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, in Akure.
Adekola, the first Ondo State indigene to be elected National Chairman of the association, and who was accompanied on the visit by his colleagues in the newly inaugurated executive of the ACPN assured the governor of the support of organized pharmacists in Nigeria for his administration on health matters.
According to a statement by Bode Akinwumi, Press Officer to the Governor, Adekola said: “The main issue why we are here has to do with your law on the Contributory Health Insurance Scheme. Let me put on record straight sir, Ondo State Law today in Nigeria, is the most people centred, patient centred, professionally acceptable and most easy to implement. I mean it!
“There are states which have passed their laws five, seven years running and cannot implement because of certain encumbrances. I want to let you know that we have passed the law to the National Secretariat of NHIS to serve as benchmark for the remaining seventeen states of the federation that have not had their own law on the Health Insurance Scheme.
“We will like to say that the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria will strongly support the implementation of that law’, he said
Adekola, an indigene of Supare Akoko in Akoko South West Local Government Area of Ondo State was impressed by the performance of the Governor.
His words: “We are here to commend you on the good job you are doing. I know my town, Supare Akoko, happens to be one of the towns in the state that benefited from your gesture of good road-network within your first one hundred days in office. Looking round the state and seeing what you are doing on infrastructure and roads development, I’m happy to say, you are doing well sir”.
He vowed to vigorously pursue the fight against fake and counterfeit drugs as a project that will drive the thrust of his tenure in office.
According to him: “The second reason why we are here has to do with the project I have decided to adopt as the National Chairman of ACPN, it has to do with Fight Against Fake Drug.
“By the Grace of God when I was the State Chairman of PSN, (Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria), in Ondo State, God helped me to support the State Government then to set up the current State Task Force on Fake and Adulterated Products. In the Task Force we have the Ministry of Health as Chairman, we have NAFDAC, NDLEA, PSN and some persons central to drug regulation in Nigeria”, he stated.
He urged members of the public to only patronise registered pharmaceutical shops with the ascribed logo.
In his response, the Governor expressed concerns on the spate of fake and counterfeit drugs in the country.
He said: “My worry is about pharmacists dispensing drugs in the country. It has remained the same over years because they allow fake drugs to thrive.
“A lot of them have doctors’ prescription before pharmacists dispense drugs.” He therefore queried: “What is the pharmacists’ association doing to address this?”
He advised them to emulate their counterparts in advanced countries who only dispense drugs with attached sources.
“In some countries like the USA, Canada and UK, drugs can be traced to pharmaceutical outlets where they are bought so at the end of the day, if there is any problem, the source can be held responsible. Such outlets will not buy fake drugs and they determine what they buy,” he stated.
According to him, there are fake drugs that pharmacists allow to thrive, saying if possible, patent medicine shops should be phased out.
While congratulating the new National Chairman of ACPN who he described as a worthy ambassador of the Sunshine State, Akeredolu praised ACPN efforts on the Task Force to tackle fake drugs, saying he would support the move.
The governor also promised that his administration would address shortage of pharmacists in the state health facilities and equally assured that stakeholders would be brought on aboard for the successful implementation of the State Health Insurance Scheme.
Members of the State Executive Council and top government functionaries joined the governor to host the National Executive members of the ACPN at the Cocoa Conference Hall of the Governor’s Office.
