Pharmacists under the aegis of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) are dismayed by the failure of the Federal government to take advantage of the country’s potential human resources to advance the nation’s critical healthcare delivery needs.
ACPN Chairman, Pharm. Igwekamma Ambrose Ezeh, said that Nigeria registered her name in world pharmacy practice with the success story of the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine in community pharmacies in Nigeria. The unparalleled achievement in Community Pharmacy, according to him, earned the nation a global recognition by the Federation of International Pharmacists (FIP) as a model for immunization services.
In his inaugural speech as the 16th National Chairman of the ACPN Ambrose Ezeh, noted with pride how FIP benchmarked Nigeria’s landmark achievement with the Covid-19 vaccine as apt for adoption by other countries for better results in immunization services.
He however, noted with sadness that Nigeria has yet to integrate the feat achieved by the Community Pharmacists for the benefit of the healthcare delivery for the nation.
‘’In recent times, the Federation of International Pharmacists (FIP) which is the global template for practicing pharmacists in Nigeria used the success story of the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine in community pharmacies in Nigeria as a benchmark to compel other countries of the world that are not doing the same to adopt Pharmacy vaccination to achieve better results in immunization services,’’ he said.
‘’It is a major irony that the health system in Nigeria which was the focal and reference point in good healthcare delivery has not yet formalized what it is being cited as doing well.’’
During the occasion which was also the Investiture Of Distinguished Community Pharmacist (DCPHARM) Awardees, the ACPN chairman therefore, appealed to the Federal government to ‘mobilize available human resources for health’, if the country ever ‘stands any chance of reversing the negative healthcare indices’, even as he expressed confidence that the President Bola Tinubu would give attention to the situation.
‘’We at ACPN believe albeit strongly that the Federal Government and in particular, the Presidency under the watch of the reformist, President Bola Tinubu, needs to genuinely mobilize available human resources for health if we shall ever stand any chance of reversing the ugly negative Healthcare indices Nigeria is well noted for.’’
Explaining the achievement by the Community Pharmacists at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Eze said, the ‘’National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHDA), at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the ACPN to provide vaccination against COVID-19 in Community Pharmacies in Nigeria; the vaccination of 78,000 beneficiaries in just a few weeks based on the MOU between ACPN/NPHCDA at Community Pharmacists facilities was impactful.’’
Eze argued that: ‘’Rational logic should suggest that this type of success story if fully replicated in the value chain of the health system will promote the cardinal goals of the National Health and Drug Policies which are hinged on accessibility, affordability and efficacy.’’
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