Hospital leadership should be based on competence rather than professional background, Professor Lere Baale, president and chairman of the Governing Council of the Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy (NAPharm), has said, urging healthcare professionals aspiring to head state and federal hospitals to develop administrative and leadership competencies beyond their professional qualifications.
Baale, who spoke while delivering the keynote address at the 13th Annual Peer Review Meeting, organised by the Committee of Heads of Pharmacy in Federal Health Institutions (COMPHFHI), said the rapidly evolving healthcare ecosystem requires pharmacists and other healthcare professionals to embrace digital intelligence, human intelligence and predictive intelligence, while strengthening collaboration across professional boundaries to improve patient care and national development.
Speaking on the theme: “Pharmaceutical Excellence in Nigeria pharmacists must continually build their competencies and deliver quality pharmaceutical services that prevent medication errors, enhance patient safety and contribute to economic growth. He added that pharmacists also have a strategic role in strengthening medicine security by ensuring the availability of essential medicines, thereby reducing dependence on foreign supplies during emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
On the long-standing debate over hospital leadership, Baale maintained that the position of a hospital head should not be reserved for any particular profession. Rather, he argued that professionals interested in leading hospitals should complement their core qualifications with formal training in hospital administration, business administration or leadership.
“You do not inherit leadership based on your profession or your genes,” he said. “Leadership comes from the knowledge you have acquired and what you have been able to accomplish.” He noted that in many developed countries, hospitals are managed by trained administrators, while healthcare professionals focus on delivering specialised clinical services.
Addressing concerns about the alleged marginalisation of pharmacists within the healthcare system, Baale dismissed claims that any profession was deliberately suppressing another. Instead, he urged pharmacists to focus on demonstrating excellence, innovation and creativity in their practice, arguing that genuine leadership naturally emerges from outstanding performance rather than titles.
The keynote speaker concluded that every healthcare profession has a unique responsibility within the health system and should concentrate on fulfilling its mandate effectively. “A title doesn’t make somebody a leader,” he said. “When you do your job well, leadership will emerge.” He stressed that pharmacists’ advocacy is not about seeking superiority over other professionals but promoting a more competence-driven approach to leadership in Nigeria’s healthcare sector.
The President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Pharm. Ibrahim Tanko Ayuba, said detecting and preventing medication errors is a core responsibility of every pharmacist and forms an integral part of their professional training. He stressed that pharmacists do not require permission to carry out this role, as safeguarding patients from medication-related errors is fundamental to pharmacy practice.
Speaking on medication errors and their contribution to morbidity and mortality in hospitals, Ayuba emphasised that healthcare delivery is a collaborative effort involving pharmacists, medical doctors, nurses and laboratory scientists. He warned that conflicts arise when one profession attempts to dominate others, insisting that each healthcare professional should be allowed to perform their designated role while contributing their expertise towards improving patient outcomes.
Ayuba further explained that pharmacists have a duty to draw the attention of prescribing doctors to any medication or prescription errors they identify, but noted that such interventions should be handled professionally and respectfully. According to him, improved communication and mutual respect among healthcare professionals would reduce resistance, strengthen teamwork and ultimately enhance patient safety.
The Chairman COMPHFHI, Pharm. (Dr) Adeyinka Ishola, said the theme was chosen to promote innovation, transformation and collaboration in pharmacy practice, noting that no healthcare institution can function effectively in isolation. He stressed the need for pharmacists to embrace new technologies, including artificial intelligence, adapt to emerging trends and move away from outdated practices to remain relevant in an evolving healthcare landscape driven by research and innovation.
He explained that the conference, which brought together heads of pharmacy departments from healthcare institutions across Nigeria, was designed to provide a platform for knowledge sharing, problem-solving and collaboration. According to them, the ultimate goal is to strengthen pharmaceutical care in health facilities and improve patient outcomes, recognising that medicines and pharmacists remain indispensable to a healthy and productive nation.
Pharm. Ishola also highlighted the growing expertise within the profession, noting that many hospital pharmacists are now consultant pharmacists and specialists with advanced qualifications. Through continuous training and collaboration, they said pharmacists are better equipped to detect and prevent medication errors, manage drug interactions, provide patient-centred pharmaceutical care and deliver interventions that improve clinical outcomes while reducing healthcare costs.
