…As WAPCP Lagos Zone gets new excos
The President, West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists (WAPCP), Distinguished Professor Cecilia Ihuoma Igwilo, has charged all pharmacists in the country to start playing active roles in public health activities in order to improve the healthcare of citizens.
Igwilo made this call on Monday at the 2021 Inaugural Meeting of the Fellows of the WAPCP, Lagos Zone, held at the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos State.
The meeting which was preceded by a lecture, themed “Pharmacists: Facilitating Public Health”, Igwilo reiterated that pharmacists’ role in public health is very important and enormous, hence every pharmacist across the country must be up and doing.
In her opening remarks, the Nigerian Chapter Chairman of WAPCP, who is also the Immediate Past Coordinator of the Lagos Zone, Pharm. (Dr) Margaret O. Obono, stated that there are a lot of things that pharmacists in Nigeria can do in public health, but currently, they are not doing enough, adding that even if some pharmacists are doing something, their activities lack the needed publicity. She therefore urged pharmacists to get involved in public health activities and let their voices be heard.
Speaking in her lecture titled “Pharmacists: Facilitating Public Health (Pharmacists’ indispensable input)”, the guest speaker, who is also the managing Director/CEO, Pharma Solutions Limited, Pharm. (Mrs) Olabisi Oyeleye, charged pharmacists across the country to rise up and take their place in public health activities.
Oyeleye explained how public health promotes and protects the health of communities that people live, their work and learning environments, thus, urged all pharmacists to always remember the oath they voluntarily took in the school and therefore act base on the oath.
She averred that pharmacists did not just study Pharmacy to make money but to impact life in the community they find themselves, urging them to act according to the oath they voluntarily took in the school. She reminded pharmacists of their multiple roles in the society, which is beyond dispensing of drugs, but also include disease prevention and public health advocacy.
According to the guest speaker, some of the areas pharmacists can participate in public health will include development of public health policy, engaging in training and research, medication safety and prevention of diseases as well as health education.
She enjoined pharmacists to start embarking on healthcare promotion services, free or paid health care screening, correcting misinformation on health related issues that are mostly being spread through the social media. She also urged pharmacists to involve themselves in governance and advocacy campaign on health matters.
She said “improve your knowledge of contagious diseases control, prevention and reporting system. Be committed to facilitating a successful public health outcome. Start taking action from today. Don’t fold your hands, be active”, Oyeleye charged.
Members of the Lagos Zone at the meeting also elected new executives, where Pharm. Olawunmi Peters emerged the zonal coordinator; Pharm. Kingsley Ekwunife was elected assistant coordinator, while Dr Aderonke Olowu, was elected secretary of the zone. Also, Pharm. Mutiat Adepoju was elected treasurer, while Pharm. Olubukola Folorunsho was elected as the publicity secretary of the Zone.
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