The Akwa Ibom State government has expressed concerns at the proliferation of fake and counterfeit drugs in most drug stores, warehouses and other illegal outlets across the 31 local government areas of the state, noting that such unwholesome practices pose a grave danger to public health.
Consequently, the administration of Governor Umo Eno, has directed a strict enforcement regime to rid the health sector of such illegalities constituting death traps to unsuspecting patients.
At major public places, including the Ibom Plaza axis, motor parks, markets, and other busy places in the capital and peripheral local government areas of the Uyo metropolis, hawkers of various herbal remedies draw public attention to their drugs through loudspeakers, declaring their concoctions have the potency of curing virtually all ailments.
To combat the menace, two joint task force teams have been inaugurated with the mandate to “combat fake and counterfeit drugs and monitor private health facilities and quacks operating in the health sector.”
The state commissioner for Health, Dr. Ekem Emmanuel John, inaugurated the committees in Uyo, and gave the terms of reference to include “tackling counterfeit and fake drugs and unwholesome processed food products.”
He recalled that the reintroduction of the initiative after 13 years was a bold step toward safeguarding lives.
“For too long, our people have faced preventable deaths and suffering due to counterfeit drugs, unwholesome food products, and unethical practices by unqualified practitioners. These dangers erode trust and threaten lives.
“The state government, through the Ministry of Health, is resolute in stamping out these menaces and holding health professionals accountable,” he stressed.
Some of the benefits of this initiative, as listed by the commissioner, include “Elimination of fake drugs and quackery, restoration of citizens’ confidence in the state’s health system, strict adherence to ethical standards in private and public facilities and reduction of preventable deaths through proactive regulation.”
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