Towards building the capacity of Nigerian healthcare providers, the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), an umbrella body for all community pharmacists in the country, is set to hold a 3-day international conference in Abuja, the FCT.
The conference which is tagged the International Conference on Quality of Medicines and Healthcare Services is scheduled to hold on 5 to 7 March, 2024, at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.
Speaking at a press conference in Lagos, Pharm. Wale Oladigbolu, national chairman of ACPN, said the theme of the 3-day conference, ‘Quality of Medicines and Healthcare Services’, was carefully and scientifically chosen to ensure the impact of healthcare providers on society is better and the impact on their private practice would also be better.
He added that the conference would feature, a community pharmacy expansion scheme; leadership training; vaccination training, panel discussion; scientific abstract presentation and rapid-fire session; high powered meeting with PCN and NAFDAC; focus discussion on the drug use situation in Nigeria; investiture of patrons of Clean Healthcare Initiative; and national executive council meeting.
His words, “The conference is open to all healthcare providers across the country, as we are going to have panelists discussion and abstract presentation for the scientific community. Mr Mopa Esuga, country director of United States Pharmacopeia will present the lead paper on the quality of medicine. And our partner, Clean Healthcare Initiative would draw up a one or two years programme on all that would take place at that conference.
“We are doing this knowing full well that community pharmacy in Nigeria is growing and we need to equip future members with the skills and knowledge that are necessary to take the association to the next level. The leadership training programme on the second day would be open to all community pharmacists in Nigeria, so I, therefore, encourage our members from far and near to please make themselves available for this very important leadership programme.
Speaking on the cost of registration for the leadership programme, Oladigbolu said it would be subsidised by the ACPN. We hope that it would benefit us as an association in the long run and it would also benefit the individuals outside the community pharmacy practice.
Asked if there are basic reasons for organising the conference, despite their forthcoming national conference scheduled to be held in Ibadan, Oyo State later in the year, Oladigbolu noted that the leadership training is very important because they want to avoid recruitment error, especially as regards choosing the new crop of leaders, bearing in mind that by July, there would be a change of leadership in the association.
“We want to ensure that those who will come and takeover will do better than us. I am sure if we had this kind of opportunity, we would have done better, so we want to leave a good legacy behind. Also, this would serve as a good avenue to reiterate the call on our members to get involved in politics outside the pharmacy circle, and I am sure with the leadership conference, our members would begin to think along that line”.
This is the first edition, although we have had summits and retreats in the past, this is the first time we are having a 3-day package of the leadership conference, and this is also the first time we are having an international conference on the quality of medicine and healthcare services.
Also speaking at the press conference, the duo of Pharm. Chigozie Ezeugwu, chairman of the planning committee, and Pharm. Godwin Atta Okoh, secretary, noted that they are ready to gift to healthcare providers in the country, one of the best international conferences the country has ever witnessed, adding that they hope to have between 500 and 1000 healthcare practitioners in the country, as well many pharma exhibitors at the conference.
L-R, Pharm. Chigozie Ezeugwu, chairman of the conference planning committee; Pharm. Mrs Omokhafe Ashore, national secretary, ACPN; Pharm. Wale Oladigbolu, national chairman, ACPN; and Pharm. Godwin Atta Okoh, secretary of the conference planning committee, at the Press Conference in Lagos.
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