Stakeholders in the pharmacy profession and other eminent personalities in the country, including Senator (Pharm.) Matthew Urhoghide, chairman, Senate Committee on Public Accounts; Dr UNO Uwaga, chairman, Board of Trustees, Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN); and Justice Esohe Frances Ikponmwen, chief judge of Edo State, have called for unity and harmony among community pharmacists in the country, as the ACPN elects new executives to pilot its affairs for the next three years.
Speaking at the closing banquet of the recently concluded national conference of the ACPN, held at Thames Event Centre, Benin City, Edo State, Senator Urhoghide of Edo South Senatorial District, who was the chairman of the occasion, urged community pharmacists nationwide to speak with one voice and help the newly elected executives to succeed in the discharge of their responsibilities.
L-R: Dr Albert Kelong Alkali, immediate past national chairman,ACPN; Sen.(Pharm.) Matthew Urhoghide,chairman, Senate Committee on Public Accounts; Dr UNO Uwaga, chairman, Board of Trustees, ACPN; and Pharm. Samuel Adekola, newly elected national chairman, ACPN, at the clsoing banquet of the Edo 2018 ACPN Conference, held at Thames Event Centre, Benin, Edo State.
Corroborating the senator’s admonition, the duo of Dr Uwaga and the chief judge of Edo State, who was represented by Hon. Justice Anthony Erhabor, further appealed to the pharmacists not to relent in their efforts toward ensuring professionalism in whatever they do, while urging them to shelve the rancour that marked the last elections of the association and resolve to work with the newly elected executives.
While announcing the result of the election, the Chairman, ACPN Electoral Body, Pharm. Yunusa Mohid Nasir, a fellow of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, declared Pharm. Samuel Oluwaoromipin Adekola, a former national vice-chairman of ACPN, as winner of the national chairmanship position, beating his opponent, Pharm. Chima Ogbu with a total of 292 to 288 votes.
The electoral body chairman also announced Pharm. Sunday Ike, a community pharmacist from Abuja, and former chairman, ACPN-Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, winner of the national publicity secretary post with 331 votes, beating his opponent, Pharm. Babatunde Samuel, popularly known as ‘BABSAM’, also a community pharmacist from Ilorin, and former chairman, ACPN-Kwara State, with 244 votes.
Speaking further, the respected pharmacist noted that, of the available seven slots, the remaining five, which were national vice-chairman, national secretary, national assistant secretary, national treasurer, and national financial secretary, were contested unopposed.
According to him, Pharm. Abosede Idowu and Pharm. Wuyeb Nankap, the national secretary and national assistant secretary respectively, were returned unopposed, while Pharm. (Rev.) Dan Ajayi, national vice-chairman; Pharm. Ashore Omokhafe, national financial secretary; and Pharm. Ambrose Eze, national treasurer, contested unopposed and were declared winners of the elections.
Speaking during his acceptance speech, the new ACPN chairman, Pharm. Samuel Adekola, gave thanks to God for granting him success in the election to aggrieved members of the association to bury the hatchet, noting that any conflict would be detrimental to the ACPN and community pharmacy practice in the country.
“As I dedicate this success to all community pharmacists in the country who trusted and believe in my ability to lead this association, I want to say I am truly blessed and humbled by this divine favour, while I specially appreciate my campaign team which stood by me through the darkest moments of this exercise; you have remain my pillar of strength,” he said.
The highpoints of the event were the presentation of certificates and swearing in of the new executives, which was conducted by the representative of Justice Ikponmwen, Erhabor, assisted by Sen. (Pharm) Mathew Urhoghide and (Dr) Albert Kelong Alkali, outgoing, ACPN chairman.
The earth’s atmosphere is being contaminated by Antibiotic Resistance Genes (ARGs), which pose a threat to human health, according to recent Chinese research.
Led by Peking University, the researchers collected samples of air from 19 cities in 13 countries and analysed the Particulate Matter (PM) using molecular technology.
The analysis revealed 30 different types of ARGs that make bacteria resistant to seven types of antibiotics.ARGs resistant to vancomycin, one of the most effective antibiotics, were found in the air of six cities.
China in World’s Map
Antibiotic resistance is caused by the incorrect use of antibiotics, and it has allowed many bacteria to be resistant to commonly used antibiotics, which means many antibiotics are no long effective to treat common infections.
According to Yao Maosheng, the lead researcher, many countries have adopted plans to tackle this problem, including monitoring the release of ARGs in waste water, pharmaceutical factories and animal husbandry.
“However, the presence of ARGs in urban air has not received enough attention,” Mr Yao said. The research showed that some regions had seen increasing ARGs in the air in the past decade.
ARGs can also adhere to airborne particles and spread to other regions, including places that use fewer antibiotics, which increases the chance of breeding new drug-resistant bacteria.
The research showed that airborne transmission of ARGs might contribute to the spread of antibiotic
Resistance. The research serves as a reference for comprehensive and effective prevention and control of antibiotic-resistant infections.
The research was published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.
African pear, native pear or bush pear is a native fruit of West Africa, mainly found in south-east Nigeria, where it is popularly called ube. It is botanically known as Dascroides edulis (Fam. Burseraceae). It is pink in colour when unripe, but turns dark-purple when riped. Some people refer to it as butterfruit, due to the buttery taste in its pulpy pericarp when steamed to a certain temperature.
Constituents
Studies have revealed that ube is loaded with essential ingredients for warding off diseases. These include carbohydrates, sugars, fibre and vitamins (especially thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, panthotenate folate, vitamin C and vitamin B6).
The fruit has been reported to contain several minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and zinc. A wide range of chemical constituents like terpenes, flavonoids, tannins, alkaloids and saponins have been isolated from the plant. Both the pulp and seeds of the African pear contain reasonable quantity of oil, containing linoleic acid, palmitic acid, oleic acid and stearic acid.
African pear on display
Pharmacology and health benefits
The African pear tree is used by traditionalists to prepare herbal medicines for treating several health disorders, such as fever, wound, dysentery, sores and skin diseases. Studies reveal that the extracts of this fruit have antioxidant, diuretic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-hypertensive, anti-sickle cell and anti-spasmodic properties which can be attributed to the phytochemicals present in it.
Studies have revealed that regular consumption of African pears help protect women against postmenopausal breast cancer, might lower the risk of age-related macular degeneration (the main cause of vision loss in older adults), help lower blood pressure (the small clustered seeds enclosed by mesocarp in the fruit are responsible for this) and also reduce the chances of a stroke.
The high content of pectin in pears make them useful in lowering cholesterol and in the treatment of parasitic skin diseases such as such as ringworm and craw-craw. Pears have been found to be good for colon health (reducing constipation by aiding normal bowel movement).
Preparations
The African pear can be eaten raw, fried, roasted or tenderized in hot water before eating. It can be eaten alone but is ideally enjoyed together with cooked, roasted or boiled corn – a perfect combination in terms of their seasonality. Pear juice, being rich in fructose and glucose, serves as a very quick source of energy.
Pear is described as a hypoallergenic fruit because it is less likely to produce allergic reactions than other fruits.
Economic value
African pear tree is typically planted for its shade and its fruit, though the bark of the tree is aromatic. The pulp contains 48 per cent oil. A plantation can produce seven to eight tons of oil per hectare. The oil is suitable for cosmetics and food; the flower nectar is also valuable for honey.
The resin found in African pears can serve as fuel (can be burnt for lighting); the tree can be cut and used as firewood, while the leaves can be used as manure for cultivating farm produce. The twigs serve as chewing sticks. The tree is usually huge, and thus can be used to improve soil quality as well as for the prevention of erosion.
The tree wood is suitable for making axe-handles, mortars and for general carpentry. The resin is used for mending earthenware. The fruits are traded locally and internationally, conferring enormous economic value on the plant. The average price of the fruit in markets in Nigeria where home consumption accounts for about 70%, ranges from USD 300-700/ton of fruits.
As a traditional food plant in Nigeria, ube has potential to not only boost health, but also to improve nutrition, boost food security, and foster rural development and sustainable land care.
By Ngozika Okoye, FPCPharm, MSc MPH (Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency)
The recent announcement by the World Health Organisation (WHO) that Nigeria may be declared polio free by the end of August, if no new case of the condition is reported, is exceedingly cheering. Aside from the potentially gratifying effect of such a declaration on the nation, the long-awaited relief from the colossal loss and damage that the country has incurred over the years from the virus onslaught will be one to cherish for long.
Much more importantly, however the announcement is a clarion call to all stakeholders in the fight against polio in the nation to proactively watch out for and decisively deal with peculiar challenges that have consistently prevented Nigeria from successfully eradicating the disease after similar efforts in the past.
A Nigerian child receiving immunisation.
As it stands, Nigeria currently takes rank with Pakistan and Afghanistan as the remaining countries having endemic polio cases, based on data from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI). India exited the ignoble list when it eradicated polio in February 2011. Rather unsavorily, among the three countries still battling polio, Nigeria was recorded as having the highest incidence of the wild poliovirus (WPV) strain.
It is for these reasons that the announcement by the WHO Coordinator in Cross River, Dr Thompson Igbu, while speaking at a recent workshop on integrated disease surveillance and response in Calabar, that Nigeria was close to winning the war against poliomyelitis should be a major catalyst for Nigeria to strengthen and sustain its polio surveillance system. This will not only help to achieve the ultimate goal of polio eradication but also to maintain it in the long term.
It must be recalled that it took the nation this long to be at the cusp of polio eradication because of challenges like widespread skepticism of the safety of polio vaccines, religious concerns, cultural resistance, conspiracy theories, financial obstacles, lack of political will, insecurity and logistical drawbacks. While it is noteworthy that Nigeria has had to navigate through these challenges to get to this point, it must be emphasised that these challenges have not been completely overcome.
The task before the Nigerian nation therefore is to consistently strengthen its polio eradication campaign planning, social mobilisation, enlightenment campaign communication, polio reporting system, accountability at all levels, as well as ensuring access to immunisation to trapped populations in troubled areas.
It is heartwarming that the WHO coordinator commended Nigeria for having a very strong polio reporting system and for not having a new polio case recorded since August 2016. This key strength must be maintained as it is important for tracking the disease in the country. Information is key to any intervention action.
The condition of the nation’s borders is also a critical factor to consider if Nigeria must succeed in the quest to be rid of polio for good. With the present system at the borders, there is still a great risk of setback in the quest, since these entry points are notoriously porous. It only takes just one new virus case to cross the border for a fresh outbreak of the condition in the country. This is why efforts must be made to prevent this.
It is also necessary to state that the same template that has served Nigeria well in the current polio eradication drive needs to be adapted in taming other vaccine-preventable diseases in the country. These include measles, hepatitis B, pneumonia and tetanus. Our routine immunisation strategy for these conditions should therefore be adjusted accordingly to achieve success.
We must not fail to commend our development partners for the goodwill that Nigeria has enjoyed on its onerous journey to polio eradication. The success recorded by the country so far in the quest has been significantly boosted by the tremendous support the nation has received over the years from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative(GPEI), WHO, the Centre for Disease Control (CDC), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other global development partners. We believe that the best way to appreciate these partners and justify their support is to ensure that the current war against polio is decisively and permanently won.
Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Moji Adeyeye, has called on Nigerian youths to shun use of hard drugs if they must live a fulfilled life.
The NAFDAC DG made the call while speaking at the National Essay Competition for Secondary Schools, organised to commemorate this year’s International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, by the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), Drug Information Centre (DIC), at the Sickle Cell Centre, Idi-Araba, Lagos.
L-R: Pharm. Augustine Ezugwu,representative of PCN president; Pharm. N.A.E Mohammed; Dr Albert Alkali, national chairman, ACPN; and Pharm. (Mrs) Clara Anyanwu, regulatory compliance manager, NAFDAC, at the event.
Adeyeye, who was represented at the event by Pharm. Clara Anyawu, regulatory compliance manager, NAFDAC, said the use of substances like cocaine, tramadol, codeine, marijuana, and other harmful substances have a more negative effects than most people think.
According to the NAFDAC boss, hard drugs trigger a number of vices, including armed robbery, kidnapping, raping, prostitution, and even health challenges like mental disorder, adding that there is also a high risk of liver and kidney diseases, cancer, and other terminal illnesses, saying many of those engaged in such practices will not only have their lives’ dreams cut short, but also become less contributory to the society.
Speaking in the same vein, National Chairman, Association of Community Pharmacists of Nivgeria, Dr Albert Kelong Alkali, and Registrar, Pharmacists Council of Nigeria, Pharm. N.A.E. Mohammed, who was represented by Pharm. Ezugwu, of Lagos Zonal Office, disclosed that drug abuse is one of the greatest challenges the country is facing presently, adding that there is no better time than now to start sensitising the younger ones about the dangers inherent in it.
“These children are our future; so the earlier we start protecting their future, the better for our nation, because by the time we leave, they are the ones that will take over,” Alkali said.
Speaking earlier, Pharm. Bukola Folorunsho, chairman, DIC-ACPN, explained that the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is an effort of the United Nations to strengthen action and spread awareness about drug abuse and illegal drug trade in the world, adding that it is an expression of determination towards the goal of achieving an international drug-free society.
According to her, the observance of International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is very significant because there are many socio-economic and cultural issues related to illegal drugs and drug trafficking, adding that drug abuse results in perhaps the worst kind of health problems and has become a major crime in almost all the countries of the world.
Speaking on the theme of this year’s programme, “Listen First”, Folorunsho disclosed that listening to children and youths is the first step to help them grow healthy and safe.
“Given the increased incidence of drug abuse in the youth and kids, it is important to listen to them first. This initiative aims at increasing support for science-based prevention of drug use and invests more on the well-being of kids, youngsters and their families,” she advised.
According to her, parents and members of the society should not stop creating awareness among their children and youths on the dangers of drug abuse, adding that parents should monitor their children closely if they must effectively protect them from the menace.
The highpoint of the event was the presentation of cash prizes to the winners of the essay competition. At the end of the keen contest, which involved essay writing and presentation, five students from four schools emerged winners, namely: Hephzibah Ogbonaya, Living Word Academy Secondary, Aba, Abia State; Eniola Sanya of Reagan Memorial Baptist Girl Secondary School, Yaba, Lagos; Divine Nkala from Federal Science and Technology College, Lagos; Ebubechukwu Udeh, from Ikeja Senior High School; and Festus Erondu, from Living Word Academy Secondary School, Aba, Abia State.
The first prize of hundred thousand naira, was presented to Hephzibah Ogbonaya, Living Word Academy Secondary School, Aba, Abia State; while Eniola Sanya of Reagan Memorial Baptist Girl Secondary School, Yaba, Lagos; Divine Nkala, from Federal Science and Technology College, Lagos, were presented with prizes of 70,000 naira, and 50,000 naira, for coming second and third consecutively.
Other dignitaries at the event included: Pharm. Olufemi Ismail Adebayo, former chairman, ACPN; Pharm. Abosede Idowu, national secretary, ACPN; Pharm. Lawrence Ekhator; Pharm. Madehin Gafar Olanrewaju; and Pharm. Sola Onanusi.
Pharm. (Prince) Olufemi Adebayo is the managing director and chief executive officer of KikePharm Company Limited, Ilesa, Osun State, Nigeria.
Born about 50 years ago to the family of Late (Prince) Umran Adebayo and Mrs Abegbe Adebayo of the Abegunodo ruling house of Iwo, in Iwo Local Government of Osun State Nigeria, Adebayo had his secondary education at St Mary Grammar School, Iwo, Osun State from 1973 to 1979. Thereafter, he proceeded to the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria, where he studied Pharmacy and graduated in 1983, with second class honours (upper division).
Pharm. (Prince) Olufemi Adebayo
Adebayo had his internship programme at his alma mater, OAU, from 1983 to 1984, before going for his mandatory one-year national service (NYSC), at Aniocha Local Government, Delta State, from 1984 to 1985.
Adebayo worked briefly at the Oyo State Hospital Management Board in 1985. However, in a bid to fulfill his childhood dream, he voluntarily resigned in 1986 to join community pharmacy practice. He was superintendent pharmacist, Boorepo Pharmaceutical Chemist, Osogbo, Osun State, from 1986 to 1989; and superintendent pharmacist, Sola Med Chemist, Ojoo, Ibadan, Oyo State, from 1990 to 1991. It didn’t take long before he realised his dream of establishing his own pharmacy. He founded KikePharm Company in 1991.
Adebayo, a passionate professional and dedicated administrator, went further to bag a postgraduate diploma in Computer Science in 1997 at Osun State College of Education, Ilesa, Osun State.
Pharm. Adebayo, an entrepreneur par excellence who has earned recognition across the country for his professionalism, expertise, leadership skill, and dedication, has attended several national and international conferences, seminars, trainings and workshops organised by the ACPN, PSN, FIP, WAPCP and several others.
Adebayo has significantly contributed his time, knowledge-base and resources towards the progress of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) and Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) in several ways, including being the publicity secretary PSN, Osun State (1992-1999;) treasurer, PSN, Osun State (2000-2002); national financial secretary, ACPN, (2000-2003); national treasurer, ACPN (2006); chairman, PSN, Osun State Branch (2006-2008); chairman, Conference Planning Committee, ACPN (2009); council member, PSN (2006-2011); national treasurer, PSN (2008-2011); national chairman, ACPN (2012-2015) and coordinator, Osun State Board of Fellows, PSN.
Prince Adebayo is happily married to Oluremi Adebayo and blessed with four children, one of whom is a pharmacist.
Eminent Nigerians, including former governor of Edo State and national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole; Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, and President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Pharm. Ahmed Yakasai, have tasked the federal government to give foremost attention to the health sector in view of its importance to national development, saying repositioning the sector is the only way to end the drug abuse challenge in the nation.
The charge was given at the opening ceremony of the recently concluded 37th Annual National Conference of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), tagged “Edo 2018” and held at SIO Event Centre, Ikpomwan Road, Benin City, Edo State.
L-R: Pharm. (Alh) Ahmed Yakasai, president, PSN, presenting an award plaque to Pharm. NAE Mohammed, registrar,PCN, while Dr Alkali, immediate past national chairman, ACPN, watches, during the opening ceremony of the Edo 2018 ACPN national conference, held at SIO Event Centre, Benin City, Edo State, recently.
Chairman of the occasion, Adams Oshiomhole, said he was delighted that community pharmacists across the country found him worthy enough to chair the occasion, noting that since he became the national chairman of the ruling APC, he had been making efforts to ensure that sanity was restored back into the party, which according to him, made him to be unavoidably absent at the conference.
Assuring the ACPN of his support towards improving the healthcare delivery system in the country, Oshiomhole, who was represented by the former secretary to the Edo State Government, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, stated that community pharmacists had so much to do to ensure that the pharmaceutical needs of the nation’s teeming populace were met, adding that repositioning the healthcare sector was the way to end the challenge of drug abuse challenge in the country.
Also speaking at the event, Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, who said he was delighted for the choice of Edo State as the host state for the conference, noted that the vital role of community pharmacists as the closest healthcare professionals to the people should spur them to be more dedicated and passionate about their chosen profession.
Cross section of dignitaries at the conference
The governor, who was represented at the occasion by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Edo State, Dr Izielen Asogun, further noted that the conference came at a time that the country was battling the challenge of drug abuse, which he said had continued to ridicule the nation in the eyes of the world.
He added that his administration was intensifying efforts to rid the state of counterfeit medicines, improve the standard of healthcare delivery and ensure that drug abuse was not tolerated.
The governor further stated that the theme of the conference, “Medicine Abuse in Nigeria: A Call to Action For Community Pharmacists”, was apt, considering the challenge facing the healthcare sector and the fact that it was coming shortly after the release of the BBC documentary titled “Sweet Sweet Codeine”, which prompted the federal government to place a ban on the issuance of permits for the importation of codeine.
While delivering his speech at the conference, the president, PSN, Pharm. (Alh) Ahmed Yakasai, noted that the theme was commendable as it served to highlight the various contributions of pharmacy profession to the public, while adding that the conference was unique as it was the first time such multitude would be attending an ACPN conference.
Assuring community pharmacists of maximum support from the PSN and other relevant stakeholders, Yakasai said: “PSN is ever determined and committed to the entrenchment of ideals that will advance the practice of pharmacy, and we are set to achieve this by constructively engaging various stakeholders and regulators through robust advocacy in the last one year.”
Speaking further, the number one pharmacist in the country, identified poor implementation of health insurance in the country as a major challenge hampering effective care delivery by community pharmacists, while assuring that PSN had made far-reaching recommendations in its memo to the Senate, in addition to adequate lobbying for community pharmacy to get its deserved share of roles in the scheme.
Speaking earlier, the immediate past national chairman of ACPN, Dr Albert Kelong Alkali said that he was delighted that the conference would go down in history as one of the conferences that recorded maximum attendance.
He noted that the conference offered a good opportunity for community pharmacists who had been working since the beginning of the year to unwind and learn, adding that the theme for the year was carefully crafted to reflect the present realities of the country and give a pointer to the future.
The high point of the event was the presentation of award of excellence to the executive governor of Edo State, Mr Godwin Obaseki; chairman of the occasion, Comrade Adams Oshiomole; and the Keynote Speaker, Prof. Ray Ozolua, a professor of Pharmacology, University of Benin, which was done by Pharm. Yakasai and the PCN registrar, Pharm. NAE Mohammed.
Pharm. (Dr) Kingsley Chiedu Amibor, former national vice chairman, Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists (AHAPN) has emerged winner of the AHAPN National Chairmanship Election, held during the just concluded 20th Annual Scientific Conference of the association, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Results announced at the end of the election showed that Dr Amibor polled a total of 141 votes, to defeat his opponents, Pharm. Oyim Elechi, assistant director of Pharmaceutical Services, Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State and Pharm. Abdulrashid Bashar Buhari, deputy director, Pharmaceutical Service and Head of Department, National Eye who had a total of 98 votes and 75 votes respectively. Amibor was thereafter declared the winner and presented with the certificate of office, having got the highest votes.
The electoral committee also announced Pharm. Ameh Abdullahi as vice Chairman, for polling a total of 133 votes to edge out his opponents Pharm. Famakinde and Agbojo, who polled a total of 117 votes and 61 votes respectively.
Dr Kingsley Chiedu Amibor, AHAPN national chairman
Other winners at the polls were: Pharm. Olufunmilayo Fagboyo, who gathered 204 votes to emerge the Financial Secretary, while Pharm. Gabriel Akelikwunu, garnered 164 votes to win the Assistant Secretary position. – Pharm Luka Wetben, also won the Ex- Officio1 seat, with a total of 110 votes.
In his acceptance speech, Dr Amibor appreciated all hospital and administrative pharmacists for speaking with one voice at the just concluded elections, to elect him as their leader.
The newly elected AHAPN National Chairman, acknowledged the fact that there are myriads of challenges facing the practice, but he has assured all members of giving the best of his service to reduce these challenges to the barest minimum.
“No doubt, the challenges confronting our practice are enormous, but we believe that with the backing of God Almighty and the collective resolve of all AHAPN members, we shall overcome. I urge us all to join hands, remain undaunted and keep our hope alive. We will strive to provide proactive, open door, dynamic and pragmatic servant leadership. The future is bright and promising”, he pledged.
The names and designations of all members of the new AHAPN National Executives are as follows:
Dr Kingsley Chiedu Amibor, chairman; Pharm. Ameh Abdullahi, vice chairman; Pharm. Hafiz Akande, secretary – (unopposed); Pharm Gabriel Akelikwunu, assistant secretary; Pharm. Olufunmilayo Fagboyo, financial secretary; Pharm. Olabode Ogunjemiyo, treasurer – (unopposed); Pharm . Uche Agnes Ezeh national internal auditor (unopposed); Pharm. (Dr) Frances Odigie, publicity secretary; Pharm. Luka Wetben, ex- officio1; Pharm. Jelili Adewale Kilani, ex-wife officio 2; and Pharm. Martin’s Oyewole, immediate past chairman.
Vice President of the Nigerian Dental Association (NDA), Dr Funmi Ashiwaju, has described medicine abuse as a major factor in the prevalence of oral health problems in the country, including generalised dental caries, periodontal diseases, mucosal dysplasia, xerostomia, bruxism, tooth wear, and tooth loss.
The dental specialist disclosed this at the opening ceremony of the recent 37th Annual National Conference of the Association of Community Pharmacists (ACPN), tagged “Edo 2018” and held at SIO Event Centre, Ikpomwan Road, GRA, Benin, Edo State.
Ashiwaju noted that oral health disorders are among the most prevalent health problems associated with drug abuse, saying drug abuse has both direct and indirect consequences for oral health and can exacerbate oral problems indirectly through its adverse effects on the users’ behaviour and lifestyle.
The paediatric dentist also observed that most drug addicts have poor eating habits and poor oral hygiene habits, adding that oral health complications could be from “direct exposure of oral tissues to drugs during smoking or ingestion, biological interaction of drugs with normal physiology of oral cavity, as well as the effects of drugs on brain function, which result in a spectrum of addictive behaviours such as risk-taking behaviour, poor hygiene, poor diet, aggression, and carelessness.
According to her, drugs usually abused to the detriment of oral health include codeine, heroin, cocaine, ectasy , amphetamine, hashish, club drugs, hallucinogens, inhalants, and prescription-type psychotherapeutics, such as pain relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants and sedatives used for nonmedical reasons, among others.
Dr Funmi Ashiwaju, vice president of the Nigerian Dental Association (NDA)
Dr Ashiwaju further disclosed that the minimal attention given to oral health, in addition to other factors, such as addiction to drugs, fear of dentists, dental service acceptability, needle-phobia, self-medication, cultural issues and lifestyle, often leads to low use of dental services among drug abusers.
She further stressed that in all patients with dental trauma, the possibility of drug abuse should be considered.
Recommending Unilever’s Pepsodent as a trusted oral care solution in the country, Ashiwaju noted that the toothpaste, which reflects Unilever’s long tradition of Research and Development should, come to mind when faced with an oral health challenge.
In her words, “Pepsodent Triple Protection is one big breakthrough formulation that guarantees protection against cavities, stains and bad breath, which are the most prevalent oral care needs in many homes in Nigeria.”
Dr Mohammed Amali, sub-dean, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), has described the death of Prof. Abdulkarim Agunu, erstwhile dean of the school, as a great loss to not just the institution but the pharmacy profession in general.
It would be recalled that the amiable dean passed on at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UIT) on Sunday, 15 July 2018.
Reacting to the news, Amali disclosed that the entire university had been thrown into mourning and the mood was despondent, particularly in the faculty where his impact had been most felt.
Prof. Abdulkarim Agunu
“Prof. Agunu took his work seriously. His affable and friendly nature endeared him to everyone both within and outside the faculty and he will definitely be sorely missed. A professional to the core, he elevated the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences in UNILORIN from obscurity to the current position we occupy in pharmaceutical communities.
“It is this tenacity and drive which led to the full accreditation of the Faculty in 2017 and institution of the Pharm.D programme by the University of Ilorin in the same year. He spent his last moments working assiduously towards the development of staff as he was to chair the faculty promotions exercise before his sudden and untimely demise. Personally he was a mentor and a friend and the pain we feel at this time is indescribable,” Amali lamented.
In a similar vein, Pharm. N.A.E Mohammed, registrar, Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) has described Agunu’s death as saddening.
“When I first heard it was stroke, we concluded that he would soon snap out of it. Unfortunately, he didn’t. It is indeed sad,” he said.
Pharm. Ahmed Yakasai, president, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) also stated that Agunu’s death was a personal loss to him, as the two of them were together as at March.
“On behalf of all Nigerian pharmacists, I write to console his immediate family, Kwara State pharmacists and other pharmacists in the country for this great loss of an excellent and complete gentleman,” he said.
Bemoaning the loss, Prof. Mbang Femi-Oyewo, former dean, Faculty of Pharmacy, Olabisi Onabanjo Univeristy (OOU), described Agunu as a great scholar, for whom she had utmost respect.
“I actually thought of calling him before I heard the sad news. His death also calls for a sober reflection. Many of us pharmacists in academia hardly consider taking a break from our arduous task until it is late. I am sad,” she stated.
In a related development, Quadri Omotesho, president, UNILORIN chapter of the Pharmaceutical Association of Nigeria Students (PANS), has announced that the remains of Late Prof. Agunu has been buried at the Ilorin Cemetary, according to Islamic rites.
Born 51 years ago, Agunu had his primary and secondary school education in his hometown in Auchi, Edo State.
He had his A Levels at Maiduguri in present-day Borno State and got admission into Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) in 1985. He graduated in 1989 and proceeded to Maiduguri Specialist Hospital, Borno State for his internship. On completion, he stayed to work briefly as a community pharmacist before joining the faculty in 1994.
When asked about his only regret in life in his last interview with Pharmanews, Agunu was quoted as saying:
“Life has taught me that challenges are what bring out the best in every personality. Regret is certainly not one of them. There was a time I got worried about my work here (UNILORIN). It also coincided with the day my vice chancellor personally sent for me.
“He looked me straight in the eyes and said ‘Look, I have no regret appointing you. You have totally transformed the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences in my school.’ I was impressed because when I got here (UNILORIN) initially, I was jittery. If you continue to do good, people will appreciate you. Having been on the job for four years, I can conveniently say that is all the encouragement I need.”
Until his death, Agunu was a member of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), National Association of Pharmacists in Academia (NAPA), Nigerian Society of Pharmacognosy (NSP) and Society for Medicinal Plants and Natural Products Research.
Stakeholders at every level of intervention have been advised to collaborate and review administrative processes and the approach leading to the identification of plants, scientific research, development and approval of remedies and drug production from Nigerian herbs and plants.
This call was made by Emeritus Prof. Joseph Okogun, of the Department of Chemistry, University of Ibadan, at a public lecture, which was part of activities organised to mark his 80th birthday by Bevekt Gedu Chemical Company.
Emeritus Prof. Joseph Okogun
The lecture titled: “Active, Bitter and Sweet – A Lifetime of Research on Plants, Anti-Cancer Remedies and Drug Discovery”. Okogun described plants as unrivaled organic chemical factories, producing useful chemicals that man exploits for various purposes, and the reasons why the natural chemistry of plants is important to healthy living.
He also spoke on a variety of active ingredients that have been discovered from everyday leaves and fruits found in Nigeria and West Africa that can either treat or manage a lot of common ailments in Nigeria and elsewhere at affordable cost.
“There are organic and natural remedies for the management of various diseases including cancer and HIV/AIDS using several decades of data from scientific research on plants by Bevekt Gedu. Out of Bevekt Gedu’s work, a pure compound initially obtained from a Nigerian plant which has been adopted and about to be finalized for drug development as a blockbuster drug by IMI of USA. This is an indication that opportunities for long lasting and sustainable investments are abundant locally”, he asserted.
The public lecture was chaired by Engr. Adama Okoene, former managing director, Midwestern Oil. It was attended by healthcare professionals, academicians and other professionals from public and private sectors.
Prof. Okogun further explained the extraction, isolation, analysis and modification of active natural products for potential drug leads or drugs and molecular probes; and the role of different professionals in the process of drug discovery.
Plant materials are usually processed and powdered for extraction with solvents of various polarities so that different types of compounds are extracted by the different solvents. The solvents range from gases (carbon dioxide and hydrocarbon) in supercritical fluid states, petroleum either through ethanol to water. For instance, the removal of solvent, the usually dark brown gum is separated into the component compounds in the mixture using various chromatographic methods with or without bioactivity screening depending on the nature of the targeted compounds.
He explained that biological activity screening is done by pharmacognosists, pharmaceutical chemists, pharmacologists, biochemists and microbiologists to identify potential drugs and other biologically active compounds including pesticides. Toxicologists determine the toxicity including teratogenicity of identified potential drugs.
When biologically active compounds are identified, there may be need to improve on the activity and or toxicity by modifying the structures using chemistry linked with biology. Identified potential drugs with known mechanism of actions are used as molecular probes in diagnosis and disease research.
Generally, drug discovery and production are results of a multi-disciplinary enterprise and require input from most human disciplines of study which Prof. Okogun gave as follows; botanists as taxonomists, chemists for isolation and chemistry/identification of active principles, zoologists and animal breeders produce animals needed in invitro and invivo studies; while biochemists, pharmacognosists, pharmacologists and microbiologists conduct biological activity studies.
In addition, toxicologists do toxicity studies, clinician (human and veterinary) and pharmacist will do clinical studies and use-as medicines, while lawyers and entrepreneurs for patenting and marketing respectively. All of these activities by different stakeholders will create a local value chain and lead to the multiplier effect of saving foreign exchange and thousands of jobs in the rural and urban areas.
Drug abuse has reached an unprecedented level in our nation today and its dire consequences are around us. It has destroyed thousands of young people’s lives, predisposed hundreds of people to danger and it has negatively impacted our socio-economic landscape as a country.
Did you know that 70 per cent of people who commit crime are under the influence of drugs? Kidnapping, armed robbery, insurgency and other crimes can be traced to the negative consequences of abuse of substances, such as alcohol, marijuana, tramadol, rohypnol, codeine with syrup, just name them. A myriad of lives have been lost, and many individuals had been injured. The question is who is next? Yes, who is next?
Pharm. Sesan Kareem
People who abuse drugs pose great danger to themselves, their family and friends, as well as the society at large. Everybody loses to drug abuse, physically, socially, financially and mentally.
Costly gamble
It is a strange fact that many people abuse drugs out of ignorance. Oh yes, they abuse drugs to feel good, ease stress, avoid reality or build confidence. People abuse drugs because they want to experience the peace, joy and love they lack in their lives. They aspire to feel on top of the world and experience live fully despite its challenges. Unfortunately, while they experience some immediate benefits they also experience devastating consequences of drug abuse that alter the quality of their life forever.
Let’s remind ourselves certain terminologies about drug abuse.
So, what is a drug? A drug is any chemical substances which, when administered to a living organism produce a biological effect which may cause physiological or psychological change in the body as the case may be.
Drug abuse is more concerned about psychological change in the body than physiological change. All drugs are poisons, depending on the dose.
What is a medicine? A medicine is a chemical substance used to treat, cure, prevent or diagnose a disease or to promote well-being. A drug is different from a medicine. All medicines are drugs not all drugs are medicines. Heroine is a drug, but not a medicine. When it comes to drug abuse, we have medicine abuse and substance abuse.
What is drug abuse? Drug abuse is the habitual use of drugs for non-therapeutic purposes. Drug abuse leads to dependence, dependence becomes addiction. Drug addiction is the compulsory use of drugs for non-therapeutic purposes. Not when it puts your health or finances or life in danger. But when you cannot do without using the drug; when someone has become the slave to the drug and the drug has become the master. Then, the person is addicted.
Between abuse and misuse
Drug abuse is close to drug misuse. However, they are different. Drug misuse is when you are not using a drug appropriately, whether in terms of dosage or frequency. For instance, when, instead of taking medicine two times daily (12 hourly) a person takes it once daily or three times a day. Instead of taking two paracetamol you decide to take three because you want fast action. These are all instances are drug misuse.
So far, we said people abuse drugs to feel good; build confidence, ease stress, avoid reality or face challenges of life. Again, we differentiated between drugs and medicines. We opined that while all medicines are drugs, not all drugs are medicines. Furthermore, we shed light on drug abuse and drug misuse. Drug abuse is the habitual use of drugs for non-therapeutic purposes, while drug misuse is the inappropriate use of medicines for therapeutic purposes.
Life without drug abuse
Is there a way we can experience peace, joy and love in our lives without abusing drugs? Yes, there is a sure way. Are there truths we need to learn and live by as an individual and a society concerning drug abuse? Yes, there are facts about drug abuse we must have at our finger tips. Can we fight this menace from a point of understanding and compassion instead from a point of ignorance and judgement? Definitely, we can, together we are stronger?
Next time, we will look at some common myths concerning drug abuse and proven strategies to experience inner joy, peace and love.
ACTION PLAN: I avoid drug misuse. I take stock about my life to find out if I am abusing any substance. I am an ambassador against drug abuse. I educate people, especially my friends and family against drug abuse and its consequences.
AFFIRMATION: I stay away from drug abuse and misuse. I am blessed and highly favoured.
PS: Kindly watch out for our social media campaign against drug abuse as we educate people on drug abuse, its dangers and how to feel good without abusing any substance.
Natural abilities make it easy for one to accomplish great results. The professional musicians, entertainers, athletes, academicians and the likes succeed easily because of their natural abilities. They capitalise on this advantage and rise above others to distinguish themselves in their fields.
Today, there are some young graduates who have taken to the career of master of ceremonies at social functions. They joke and keep the guests relaxed, merry and laughing. Of course, none of them entered the university to study what they now practise. Instead, they have discovered what they can easily do with their talents and are doing it with passion.
Sir Ifeanyi Atueyi
It is not so with some other people. Some succeed through working hard and intelligence. They identify some opportunities and determine to make the best use of them. They focus intensely on what they want to achieve. They think big and positively. They develop high self-worth and carry themselves about as important and successful people. The truth is: they eventually get what they want because of their positive attitude and strong belief and desire.
I had a friend and colleague named Greg. He was a workaholic and this eventually propelled him to the top of the company. We used to have our lunch in the same restaurant, when I was in employment. Greg would hurry over his meal and return to his table, leaving us to chat away and wait for the lunch period to be over. He was so committed to his work as if it was his personal business. Of course, Greg rose to the position of the CEO after some years. He took his work very seriously and, above all, he loved his work. These qualities accounted for his success and rapid progress in the company. I cannot say confidently that he was talented.
Greg never allowed any distraction to take him out of his focus. He set clear goals for himself and worked with perseverance to achieve them. One day, during lunch, Greg said to me, “If I have the chance to be in control of this company, I will surely do better than the MD.” He saw future possibilities and believed in making positive contributions. Even as a junior manager at that time, he was already seeing himself as a possible MD of the company. And his dream came true eventually.
Success is not easy. Having your own company and managing it well is challenging. It demands discipline, hard work, perseverance and determination. Despite these attributes, the truth is that success cannot be guaranteed by talent and hard work alone. I found something in the Bible which is revealing. Ecclesiastes 9:11 says, “The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favour to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.”
Life is full of cases where the talented and educated people are poor and not honoured. Natural abilities and hard work are not enough to guarantee success and prosperity. Some people were very brilliant in school but found it hard to make meaningful progress in their careers and businesses. You have to be at the right place at the right time. The element of chance can have tremendous impact on people’s lives.
There are some people who can be described as just ordinary, but as a result of association with certain persons, they became wealthy and influential. On the other hand, some people have made a mess of their abilities and destinies as a result of associating with the wrong people. First Corinthians 15:33 says, “Bad company corrupts good character.” The type of people you associate with will surely affect your progress in life. “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17).
Some people succeed despite apparent disadvantages of poverty and ignorance in the family. Others are born with silver spoon in the mouth and yet seem to be lost in the crowd. Here, personal choices and decisions play crucial roles.
I listened to a successful businessman talk about himself. He said that, as a child, poverty in the family kept him out of school and other activities which other children enjoyed. He said that right from that early age, he hated poverty and made up his mind that he would accumulate wealth, and his children would never taste poverty as he did. He chose to be rich and he truly became wealthy.
For the patients’ right to essential and adequate healthcare to be implemented to the fullest, then the twenty-first century nurses must equip themselves with all necessary resources, to be worthy advocates of their patients, Professor of nursing, University of Ibadan, Prisca O. Adejumo has said.
Adejumo, who described patients as the most important persons in any healthcare enterprise, said nurses are the most important advocates of these patients, because nurses respond to the healthcare needs of patients in all stages of life, from the point of birth to the time of departure from the world.
L-R: Mrs Kemi Ogunyemi, commissioner for nursing affairs, Health Service Commission; Mrs Dorcas Shonibare, director of nursing service, Lagos; and Prof.Prisca Adejumo, University of Ibadan, at the conference.
Speaking on the theme of the programme: “Nurses: A Voice to Lead ; Health is a Human Right”, she said this special obligation and service to humanity, poses a great challenge to nurses, as they must always endeavour to be good ambassadors of their patients.
“It is important for a nurse to believe in herself because nursing is actually a calling, you don’t just come into nursing for fun, if you are here in nursing and you have responded to the call, that call should drive you, it helps you everywhere you find yourself, willing to make a difference.
Comrade Julius Awojide,chairman, Lagos State NANNM,(Left); Mrs Dorcas Shonibare, director of nursing service, Lagos State (3rd from left); Special Adviser, Primary Healthcare, Dr Olufemi Onanuga (3rd from Right), with other dignitaries at the conference
“In trying to make a difference, you become the advocate of the patient, you become the voice of the voiceless, you become the leg to the amputee, to those who have no hand you become the hands to them, and you become the eyes to the blind”, she stated.
She also emphasised the place of academic training for today nurses, saying it is important for nursing to improve their knowledge, in order to be worthy advocates of the patients.” If you are lacking in any area, go ahead and improve on yourself and don’t wait for the government to sponsor you, do something for yourself, train yourself a little, it is very important”.
In his own contribution, the Chairman, National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) Lagos State branch, Comrade Julius Awojide, explained the rationale for the theme of the conference, which he said was adopted globally, to address inequality in healthcare.
Cross section of participants at the conference.
Citing the WHO’s Director General‘s statement on nurses’ roles in the society, he said nurses respond to the health needs of people in all settings and throughout the lifespan.”Their roles are critical in achieving global mandates, such as Universal Health Coverage and Sustainable Development Goals”.
According to him: “As nurses, we are at the fore-front of the clamour for health as a human right especially at this critical period of calculated attempt to privatise our public health sector. The human right to health means service, sanitation, adequate food, decent housing, healthy working conditions and a clean environment”.
While he condemned quackery in the practice, he said “nurses wish to sound a note of warning that we shall continue to promote wellness and healthy lifestyles as key to eliminating the unequal burden of disease experienced by the poor and underserved population”.
-Says 3 in 5 Babies Not Breastfed in the First Hour of Life
As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to commemorates the 2018 World Breastfeeding Week, an awareness campaign annually celebrated throughout the first week of August, new reasons for Nigeria’s ranking among countries with the highest rate of infant mortality are unfolding, as the World Health Organisation (WHO) has identified delay in breastfeeding for the first hour of birth as one of the causes of infants death in low- and middle -income countries.
The WHO and UNICEF report which revealed that an estimated 78 million babies, or three in five infants are not breastfed within the first hour of life, said this put these newborns at higher risk of death and disease, making them less likely to continue breastfeeding.
An African woman, initiating first hour breastfeeding with her baby.
The new statement, released from New York/Geneva, described the paramount role of first hour postpartum breastfeeding for newly born as well as the grievous dangers of its negligence in the life of babies.
“Newborns who breastfeed in the first hour of life are significantly more likely to survive. Even a delay of a few hours after birth could pose life-threatening consequences. Skin-to-skin contact along with suckling at the breast stimulates the mother’s production of breast milk, including colostrum, also called the baby’s ‘first vaccine’, which is extremely rich in nutrients and antibodies”, the statement disclosed.
“When it comes to the start of breastfeeding, timing is everything. In many countries, it can even be a matter of life or death,” says Henrietta H. Fore, UNICEF Executive Director. “Yet each year, millions of newborns miss out on the benefits of early breastfeeding and the reasons – all too often – are things we can change. Mothers simply don’t receive enough support to breastfeed within those crucial minutes after birth, even from medical personnel at health facilities.”
In the words of the WHO Director General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Breastfeeding gives children the best possible start in life. We must urgently scale up support to mothers – be it from family members, healthcare workers, employers and governments, so they can give their children the start they deserve.”
Although the last UNICEF global report ranked Nigeria as the 11th highest on newborn deaths, recent analysis on first hour breastfeeding compliance revealed highest compliance in Eastern and Southern Africa (65%) and lowest in East Asia and the Pacific (32%), with Sub-Saharan Africa not mentioned among countries with highest compliance rates.
“Nearly 9 in 10 babies born in Burundi, Sri Lanka and Vanuatu are breastfed within the first hour. By contrast, only two in 10 babies born in Azerbaijan, Chad and Montenegro do so”, statement disclosed.
Other reasons for delayed breastfeeding
Other reasons for keeping too many babies waiting too long beyond the first hour of delivery were listed by an analysis of 76 countries conducted by Capture the Moment.
They include:
Feeding newborns food or drinks, including formula: Common practices, such as discarding colostrum, an elder feeding the baby honey or health professionals giving the newborn a specific liquid, such as sugar water or infant formula, delay a newborn’s first critical contact with his or her mother.
The rise in elective C-sections: In Egypt, caesarean section rates more than doubled between 2005 and 2014, increasing from 20% to 52%. During the same period, rates of early initiation of breastfeeding decreased from 40% to 27%.
Gaps in the quality of care provided to mothers and newborns: In many cases, babies are separated from their mothers’ immediately after birth and guidance from health workers is limited. And this has been highly decried by experts.
Going forward, the report urged governments, donors and other policy makers to adopt strong legal measures to restrict the marketing of infant formula and other breast milk substitutes, which discourage the act of initial breastfeeding.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has seized fake medical devices, cosmetics, expired drugs and empty labels worth N5.804 million at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu.
NAFDAC’s Airport Head, John Okwori, disclosed this while briefing journalists in Enugu on Tuesday.
NAFDAC Logo
Mr Okwori said that the seized fake products included unregistered and unlabeled blood glucose test strips unbranded from China to be possibly labelled in Nigeria and sold as imported original brand.
He noted that other items confiscated were herbal skin doctor massage cream for stretch marks, which had no NAFDAC registration number and was equally imported from China.
According to him, the agency also seized empty PVC cosmetic packaging containers for counterfeiting registered products and Benchmate PAR-BRO 60 powder in sachets all imported from China.
“NAFDAC is hereby warning prospective importers of fake consignments to desist from patronising the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, as the unit is up and ready to deal appropriately with such violators.
“Just as the NAFDAC Director General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, has directed that serious action be taken against such imports and violators henceforth,’’ he said.
The Federal Ministry of Health has recalled 2.4 million bottles of cough syrup containing codeine after a recent audit of the substance carried out by National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
According to a statement by Boade Akinola, Director Media and Public Relations of the ministry on Sunday in Abuja, the recall demonstrated the federal government’s resolve to stem the abuse of codeine and other substances in Nigeria.
Ms Akinola said the minister had recently received the final report of the 22-member Stakeholders Committee set up by the Ministry to address the worrisome menace of codeine abuse in Nigeria.
She quoted the Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, as saying that the audit trail and subsequent recall of the substance was part of recommendations of Stakeholders Committee set by the ministry to address codeine abuse in Nigeria.
The minister said the committee members were drafted from a broad spectrum of the health sector in collaboration with relevant agencies as part of Pharmacovigilance and renewed effort to monitor drug distribution channels and sanitise the system.
The minister recalled that the committee was an offshoot of the press release issued by the ministry on the temporary ban of codeine production and distribution.
He said the committee has Director-General of NAFDAC,Christianah Adeyeye as the chairman. Other members include Muhammad Abdullahi, Chairman of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Elijah Mohamed, the Registrar of Pharmacists Council of Nigeria; Moshood Lawal, Director, Food and Drugs Services, Federal Ministry of Health; Ahmed Yakasai, President, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) among others.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that on May 1, the federal government banned the production and importation of codeine as active pharmaceutical ingredient for cough syrup preparations to check substance abuse among Nigerians.
The minister directed NAFDAC to ban the issuance of permits for the importation of codeine as active pharmaceutical ingredient for cough preparations.
He also directed the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria(PCN) and NAFDAC to supervise the recall for labelling and audit trailing of all codeine containing cough syrups nationwide.
Codeine cough syrup
The federal government had also banned the sale of cough syrup containing codeine without prescription.
In this regard, the minister said PCN had been directed to continue enforcement activities on pharmacies, patent and proprietary medicine vendors’ shops and outlets throughout the country.
He also directed NAFDAC to carry out its functions in compliance with the new directives.
The minister said cough syrups containing codeine should be replaced with dextromethorphan which is less addictive.
Dextromethorphan is a cough suppressant used to treat coughing. It is also a drug of the morphinan class with sedative, dissociative, and stimulant properties.
The 37th National Conference of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria(ACPN), held successfully in Benin-City, Edo State recently .
Captured in the video are some high points of the conference, like the acceptance speech of the newly elected ACPN chairman – Pharm. Samuel Adekola, and others.
The Minister of Health Prof. Isaac Adewole, has been appointed as a Board member of the Stop Tuberculosis (TB) Partnership, the United Nation High Level Decision body making on TB.
The Board has the responsibility of building awareness at the highest level, identifying critical barriers in the TB space and facilitating consensus on strategy and policy –making.
It also oversees the effective implementation of the stop TB partnership’s Operation Strategy and Global Plan to end TB 2016-2020.
Nigeria’s Minister of Health Isaac Folorunso Adewole
Adewole earned the UN’s appointment as a strong advocate of TB detection and treatment, as he recently initiated strategy towards ending TB menace in Nigeria. The appointment therefore was a reflection of excellent leadership qualities and vision in the fight against TB in Nigeria.
During the recent concluded National Council on Health meeting which held in Kano in June this year, the minister recommended Tuberculosis (TB) screening as pre- medical test to newly employed public servants in both Federal and State Governments level and newly admitted students into secondary and tertiary Institutions in the country.
“I wish to advocate that mandatory TB screening be offered to both those who seek health care with or without symptoms/signs compatible with TB and those who do not” he said.
Responding to the appointment, the Adewole said that “as I am honoured to join the Stop TB Partnership’s Board, I will make sure the voice of high-burden countries and their people are heard and put all my energy in the efforts to stage a historical and game changing United Nation High Level Meeting on TB, as a turning point in the fight to end TB in Nigeria”
The appointment of Nigeria’s minister of health was alongside with the Minister of Health Kazakhstan, Dr. Elzhan A. Birtanoy. The two ministers are to represent countries affected by TB in the Stop TB Partnership’s Board.
According to the National Coordinator, National TB and Leprosy Control Programme in Nigeria, Dr Adebola Lawanson, the appointment was a recognition of his hard work as well as support to TB control efforts / ending TB epidemics in Nigeria and globally.
A gliclazide is preferred in this patient
B the dose could be increased to 10 mg daily
C the drug is administered in the afternoon
D the drug reduces insulin secretion
E it restores beta-cell activity
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) said no fewer than 1.8 million people are newly infected by HIV, warning that HIV infections continue to rise.
Executive Director of UNAIDS, Michel Sidibé, at the International AIDS Conference in the Netherlands, called on countries to boost prevention measures and continue facilitating access to treatment, according to UNAIDS statement.
HIV/AIDS Banner
It quoted Sidibé as saying: “UNAIDS is urging countries to take bold action to address the HIV prevention crisis.
“Around 1.8 million people became newly infected with HIV in 2017 and around 50 countries experienced a rise in new HIV infections as HIV prevention services are not being provided on an adequate scale or with sufficient intensity.
“Health is a human rights imperative and we are deeply concerned about the lack of political commitment and the failure to invest in proven HIV programmes, particularly for young people and key populations.
“If countries think they can treat their way out of their epidemics, they are dangerously mistaken”.
According to a new UNAIDS report, 47 per cent of new HIV infections globally affect key vulnerable populations, such as sex workers, and people who inject drugs.
He said while a combination of HIV prevention approaches could mitigate this – such as harm reduction, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), better social care and condoms – many countries are unwilling to invest in approaches which they view as culturally or religiously inappropriate.
The UNAIDS chief added: “In 2017, around 6,500 women and girls were infected with HIV every week.
“Limited access to education, a lack of economic autonomy and a lack of decision-making power, including over their own health, expose them to intimate partner violence, limit their ability to practise safer sex and limit their ability to benefit from HIV and sexual and reproductive health services, making them more vulnerable to HIV infection”.
Sidibé said in some Southern African countries for example, where HIV prevalence could be as high as 70 per cent among sex workers, it was reported that condoms were often confiscated by the police.
“If countries don’t provide comprehensive sexuality education, condoms, harm reduction or pre-exposure prophylaxis for key populations, this will ultimately translate into more new HIV infections, higher future treatment costs and a higher burden for health-care budgets and systems,” Sidibé warned.
According to UNAIDS, women and youth need targeted approaches as they were often more vulnerable and, therefore, more at risk of exposure.
The UN agency said most countries have significantly scaled up their HIV treatment programmes, some to the extent of reaching 80 per cent of people living with HIV with antiretroviral therapy.
However, many are not being diagnosed and treated soon enough, allowing transmissions to occur before they start treatment or if treatment is interrupted, the UN agency regretted.
-WHO Calls for International Efforts to Tackle Other Diseases
The World Health Organization (WHO) has congratulated the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and all those involved in ending the ninth outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease in the country, while urging them to extend this success to combating other diseases in DRC.
WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, joined Minister of Health Dr Oly Ilunga for the announcement in Kinshasa.
Health workers in mask while fighting the disease
“The outbreak was contained due to the tireless efforts of local teams, the support of partners, the generosity of donors, and the effective leadership of the Ministry of Health. That kind of leadership, allied with strong collaboration between partners, saves lives,” said Dr Tedros.
Unlike previous Ebola outbreaks in the country, this one involved four separate locations, including an urban centre with river connections to the capital and to neighbouring countries, as well as remote rainforest villages. There were initial concerns that the disease could spread to other parts of DRC, and to neighbouring countries.
Within hours of the outbreak being declared on 8 May, WHO released US$2 million from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies, deployed a team to augment capacity in the field, and activated an emergency incident management system.
“WHO moved quickly and efficiently,” said Dr Moeti, “We also demonstrated the tremendous capacity of the African region. More than three-quarters of the 360 people deployed to respond came from within the region. Dozens of experts from Guinea spent weeks leading Ebola vaccination efforts here, transferring expertise which will enable the DRC to mount an effective response both within its borders and beyond.”
Dr Tedros urged the DRC Government and the international community to build on the positive momentum generated by the quick containment of the Ebola outbreak.
“This effective response to Ebola should make the Government and partners confident that other major outbreaks affecting the country such as cholera and polio can also be tackled,” said Dr Tedros. “We must continue to work together, investing in strengthened preparedness and access to healthcare for the most vulnerable.”
The 16th National Scientific Conference of the Nigerian Association of Pharmacists in Academia (NAPA), tagged “Abuja 2018”, is billed to hold from 12 to 16 August, 2018, in Abuja.
The conference, themed:” Sustainable Access to Quality-Assured Medicines and National Security”, will be hosted for the first time by the National institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD).
Conference Banner
Some of the sub-topics of the conference include: Innovative investigation towards product development; Collaborative research towards improving quality of medicines; Leveraging ICT in academic pharmacy; Regulatory control and quality of medicines roles of the academia, and producing quality pharmacists in the 21st century.
The conference will feature renowned international speakers such as Pharm. Jude Nwokike; Prof.Moji Adeyeye; Dr Amos Samson; Prof. Olobayo Kunle, Prof. Charles Esimone and Pharm. Inusa Bello to provide insights into cutting-edge technology and development on the theme of the conference.
In remembrance of their heroics, a professor of immunology and infectious diseases from Harvard School of Public Health has paid homage to late Dr Ameyo Stella Adadevoh and other health workers who lost their lives battling Ebola virus, HIV/AIDS and Zika virus.
Addressing a large gathering at the maiden edition of Pro-Chancellor’s Distinguished Annual Lecture Series, which took place at J.F. Ade Ajayi Auditorium, University of Lagos (UNILAG) on 23 July 2018, Prof. Phyllis Kanki disclosed that Nigeria has had a long history of infectious disease outbreaks and epidemics.
Prof. Phyllis Kanki
Speaking on the lecture, “Responding To Nigeria’s Disease Outbreaks and Epidemics: Ebola, Zika and HIV”, the Harvard professor of medicine traced some of Nigeria’s virulent diseases to their roots.
“Our understanding of the human immune system is increasing with a complex array of cell types that in principles are responsible for containing foreign infectious disease pathogens.
“For instance, HIV treatment can be fully effective but operational research and policy is critical to its success,” she stressed.
L-R: Prof. Phyllis Kanki, professor of medicine; Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, vice chancellor, University of Lagos (UNILAG) and Justice Olayinka Ayoola, former Justice of the Supreme Court.
It would be recalled that Ebola virus found its way to Lagos on 20 July 2014 through a diplomat from Liberia. Both Lagos and federal health ministries, however, activated the incident management system which successfully contained the virus spread within 93 days.
Praising the heroics of First Consultants Hospital, Kanki highlighted how the late Dr Adadevoh, some doctors and other care givers treated ‘patient zero’ which resulted to 10 fatalities in which many of them paid the ultimate sacrifice.
“During the 2014 West Africa Ebola virus epidemic, Nigeria suffered 19 cases but successfully contained its spread,” she said.
In attendance were Dr Wale Babalakin, pro chancellor, University of Lagos; Justice Olayinka Ayoola, former Justice of the Supreme Court; Prof. Isaac Adewole, minister of health; Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, vice-chancellor, UNILAG; Prof. Cecilia Igwilo, Fellow, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (FPSN) and Prof. Aina Bolajoko, dean, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lagos, lecturers, professors and hundreds of medical students.
The 22nd International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2018) of the World Health Organisation (WHO) commenced on Monday 22 July 2018, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and will be concluded by 27 July 2018.
The conference, which will be a milestone event for WHO for a range of reasons, will be graced by the WHO Director General, Dr Tedros and other key officials of the WHO.
According to the statement announcing the conference, Tedros will be joined by other senior WHO leaders in attending the key sub-group discussions of the conference and engage with HIV community and partners.
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WHO will host over 20 satellites, workshops or other events and will release several new publications, including on the use of dolutegravir in HIV treatment, HIV testing, pre-exposure prophylaxis, HIV drug resistance, toxicity monitoring, key populations and HIV strategic information.
WHO sessions will highlight integrating HIV into universal health coverage, the importance of reaching key populations and addressing the rising HIV epidemics in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
Keynote speakers for the conference include: Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, Director-General, WHO; Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO Regional Director for Europe; and Soumya Swaminathan, WHO Deputy Director-General for Programmes.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has sent a warning signal to all farmers, traders and the general public to desist from the act of ripening fruits with calcium carbide, which is said to be very dangerous to health, as it is now regarded as a criminal offence.
The agency, through a press release signed by the Director General, Prof. Moji Adeyeye, said NAFDAC is commencing immediate nationwide monitoring of fruits markets to check activities of unscrupulous traders involved in illegal artificial ripening of fruits using hazardous chemicals such as calcium carbide, as perpetrators would be prosecuted.
Mangoes artificially ripened with calcium carbide
According to the statement, “Fruits provide the body with micronutrients that improve immunity and prevent diseases among other benefits. Fruit ripening is a unique aspect of plant development, which makes the fruit edible, softer, sweeter, more palatable, nutritious and attractive. However, the consumption of fruits such as mango, banana, plantain, guava, orange, grape, etc or any other fruits ripened with calcium carbide is dangerous to health”.
NAFDAC has therefore urged consumers to always examine fruits carefully to select the right fruit by observing the variation of colour. If the fruit that you buy is too good among others in “near perfect” ripening colour, it may have been ripened with calcium carbide. Fruits should be washed thoroughly under running water before consumption.
While highlighting effects of artificial ripening on fruit quality to include: loss of taste, colour, natural aroma, and less juicy. Banana and Plantain may be identified as artificially ripen if the fruits are all yellow whereas the stem is dark.
The agency has advised members of the public to report suspected cases to the nearest NAFDAC office or call any of these mobile lines for immediate response: 09094262773, 09094262772 and 08133630600.
Some of the health hazards of consuming fruits ripened with calcium carbide as listed by the statement are: “Consumption of fruits containing these impurities may cause cancer, heart, kidney and liver failure.
“They may cause frequent thirst, irritation in mouth and nose, weakness, permanent skin damage, difficulty in swallowing, vomiting, skin ulcer and so forth.
“Higher exposure may cause undesired fluid build-up in lungs (pulmonary oedema).
“Acetylene produced by Calcium Carbide affects the neurological system and reduces oxygen supply to the brain and further induces prolonged hypoxia.
“The impurities are hazardous to pregnant women and children and may lead to headache, dizziness, mood disturbances, mental confusion, memory loss, cerebral oedema (swelling in the brain caused by excessive fluids), sleepiness, seizure etc.
“Calcium Carbide is alkaline in nature and erodes the mucosal tissue in the abdominal region and disrupts intestinal functions.
“Consuming such artificially ripened fruits could result in sleeping disorders, mouth ulcers, skin rashes, kidney problems and possibly even cancer.
“Other symptoms of poisoning include diarrhoea (with or without blood), burning or tingling sensation in abdomen and chest difficulty in swallowing, irritation in eyes/skin, sore throat, cough, shortness in breathing, numbness etc”.
The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) says it is committed to State Health Insurance Scheme for an efficient primary healthcare system that would deliver priority health needs to Nigerians.
NGF Banner
The Chairman of the Forum, Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara, stated this on Thursday while briefing journalists on the outcome of the forum’s meeting held on Wednesday night in Abuja.
Mr Yari, who read the communique from the meeting, said the forum received briefing on ”Roadmap to Achieving Universal Health Coverage at the Subnational Level.”
He said that governors pledged to maintain ongoing reforms, including domesticating the State Health Insurance Scheme to achieve strong and efficient primary healthcare systems that would deliver priority health needs to all Nigerians.
Mr Yari said the forum pledged to work with the National Assembly to ensure the inclusion of States Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS) project in the external borrowing plan.
He said that the forum would also collaborate with World Bank on SFTAS projects to strengthen ongoing fiscal reforms at sub-national level to achieve better public-sector management and fiscal sustainability.
“Governors noted that the effective implementation of the SFTAS project will substantially increase available fiscal resources for productive public spending at the State level in the medium-term.
“We also believe that it will help state governments to strengthen domestic revenue mobilisation, public investment and debt sustainability,’’ he said.
Fielding questions from journalists, Mr Yari said that the forum was yet to receive harmonised report on minimum wage from its members in the federal government committee on the matter.
He said the forum was represented in the committee by governors of Kebbi, Plateau, Gombe, Osun, Imo and Rivers.
The chairman disclosed that the governors declined request by Presidents of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) to interact with them at the meeting.
According to him, it is only when we receive that report that we can interact.
“Governor of Kebbi will coordinate the report and our work will commence so that we have the harmonized report for next meeting to enable us to send our input to the federal government committee.”
On deadlock in the meeting of Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), Mr Yari said that there was no rift between the governors and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) as being reported.
He explained that the issue was disagreement in the figures presented by the corporation.
According to him, the governors were not comfortable with irregularities and discrepancies in monthly remittances, amounts for subsidies and cost of maintenance being withdrawn at will by the NNPC.
“You cannot just dip hands into public money and say this is what you are going to do.
“You either seek the approval of the National Executive Council or the president, but you took the money at your discretion without approval.
“NNPC is owned by federal, state and local governments. The states and local governments have 48 per cent and Federal Government 52 per cent. Therefore, we need to speak out when we disagree.
“We are not quarrelling but we are having disagreement on the numbers and we are saying NNPC should return this money for public sharing. If that one is settled FAAC will go ahead.
“It is not that we are comfortable. Tomorrow, if they bring another number we will say no because it is public purse,” Mr Yari said.
He expressed the forum’s condolence to the people and government of Sokoto, Kastina and Ogun states over recent attacks and disasters which claimed lives and property in the states.
He said that the proposed meeting between governors and security chiefs had not held because some of the security bosses critical to the discussion were away on national assignments outside the country.
“Some just came back last night and some are still outside the country.
“This is why we have not been able to have it, but we are still on the agenda to meet the security chiefs so that we can discuss the issue of security nationwide.”
A new study has tracked the growing impact of non-prescription antibiotics from community pharmacies worldwide, highlighting the urgent need for better enforcement laws to help stem resistance to the medications, according to the latest Australia-linked research.
“We searched global databases for studies published from 2000 to 2017 which reported on the frequency of non-prescription sale and supply of antibiotics in community pharmacies worldwide,” Queensland University of Technology researcher, Emmanuel Adewuyi, said in a statement on Thursday.
Antibiotic Caplet
“Studies from 24 countries were analysed and to our alarm we discovered that antibiotics are frequently supplied without prescription in many countries.
“This overuse of antibiotics could facilitate the development and spread of antibiotic resistance.”
Antibiotic resistance accounts for more than two million infections and 23,000 deaths annually in the U.S., and around 25,000 deaths in Europe each year, said Mr Adewuyi, who worked with Britain, U.S. and Nigerian researchers on the findings that were published in The Journal of Infection medical publication.
Economic growth and better access contributed to the global increase in supply of the antimicrobial drugs, with the majority of the overall rise in consumption occurring in places including Brazil, India and South Africa, the researchers found.
Mr Adewuyi said most of the antibiotics supplied without prescription were used to treat ailments that were acute and self-limited, such as upper respiratory tract infections and gastroenteritis.
“Considering most countries have laws prohibiting over-the-counter sales of antibiotics, there is a need to ensure such laws are more strictly enforced where appropriate,” he said.
The supply of antibiotics without a prescription in community pharmacies is a “global problem”, said the study’s lead author Asa Auta, from Britain’s University of Central Lancashire.
“Such practice not only predisposes patients to inappropriate drug and dose choices, it portends great risks for the development and spread of resistant organisms, masking of diagnosis as well as delayed hospital admissions.”
President Muhammadu Buhari says the federal government is considering an upward review of budgetary allocation to the health sector to improve the quality and access to medical facilities across the country.
Mr Buhari, who will be standing for reelection next year made the pledge when he received the new executive of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) at the State House, Abuja on Thursday.
President Mohammadu Buhari
According to him, the review will reflect the government’s priority of ensuring that Nigerians get better healthcare, especially in specialised areas.
“We place quality healthcare on our priority list, and we are already marching on with the Primary Health Care services and some state governors have bought into it.
“We are committed to universal health care.’’
The president assured the NMA that the White Paper from the Ahmed Yayale-led panel report on Inter-professional Harmony in the Healthcare Sector was already being considered by the government
According to him, this is to ensure a more organised and harmonised working relationship among medical practitioners.
Mr Buhari, however, urged the medical practitioners to always consider their profession as a “divine call’’, especially in taking decisions that directly impact on the lives of Nigerians.
He also enjoined them to explore other means of negotiation for better working conditions instead of strikes.
“The medical profession is regarded as a divine call because of the strategic role you play in the lives of human beings,’’ he said.
The President commended the NMA on some of the medical feats being achieved in Nigeria such as the separation of conjoined twins, organ transplants, heart surgeries and treatment of cancer patients among others.
He noted that the Nigerian Medical and Dental Council would soon be constituted to further enhance service delivery and regulation of the sector.
Earlier, the Minister of State for Health, Osagie Ohanire, said a newly released basic health care provision would further focus on improving service delivery to Nigerians through Primary Health Care.
Also speaking, President of the NMA, Francis Adedayo, commended Mr Buhari for including members of the NMA in the Federal Executive Council and signing of the Medical Residency Training Act into law.
Mr Adedayo urged the Federal Government to improve the budgetary allocation to the health sector as contained in the Abuja Declaration which sets a benchmark of 15 per cent.
He said the speedy implementation of the Ahmed Yayale report on harmony among practitioners in the medical sector would go a long way in enhancing service delivery and better working relationship.
The NMA president said the association had already reached out to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for stronger partnership in providing care for victims of disasters.
Pharm. Oyim Elechi, is the Assistant Director of Pharmaceutical Services, Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki Ebonyi State. He had served the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) and Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists (AHAPN) at various capacities, at different times. He was Assistant National Secretary, PSN; Chairman, AHAPN Ebonyi State branch; Assistant National Secretary, AHAPN; National Secretary, AHAPN; and others. He is a major aspirant for the position of the AHAPN national chairman, in the forthcoming election, scheduled to hold at the 20th Annual National Scientific Conference of AHAPN, from 30 July to 3 August 2018, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. In this exclusive chat with Pharmanewsonline, Pharm. Elechi speaks on the kind of height and progress he wants for hospital and administrative pharmacy practice in Nigeria, if he emerges the national chairman of AHAPN.
Pharm. Oyim Elechi, Assistant Director of Pharmaceutical Services, Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki Ebonyi State.
Excerpt below:
You were a former national secretary of AHAPN. What informed your participation in organised activities of AHAPN?
I gained employment into to the public service as a matter of opportunity not necessarily because I desired it. And so when I got into the system, I discovered that a lot of things were not in their proper perspective especially in the area of the quality of our practice and also the welfare and conditions of services of hospital pharmacists in Nigeria. And this became the driving force which propelled me into pharmaceutical activism. In 2004, I was first elected Chairman of AHAPN Ebonyi State branch and then I was later elected Assistant National Secretary in 2006 at Asaba. Our members thereafter overwhelmingly honoured me by offering me the opportunity to have served them as National Secretary (2009-2012) at the AGM held at Imo Concorde Hotels, Owerri in 2009.
I would therefore say that my participation in organised activities of AHAPN was borne out of personal enthusiasm on one hand and on the other the abiding need to bring about positive change in the quality of our practice and also make the difference in the welfare and conditions of services of hospital and administrative Pharmacists in Nigeria.
Tell us more about your involvement in pharmaceutical activities in the past, aside that of AHAPN?
I had served as a Pharmaceutical Inspector in Ebonyi State from 2004 to 2014.In this capacity I was a member of the Pharmaceutical Inspection Committee (PIC) of the Ebonyi State Office of the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) and was involved on part-time basis in the routine inspection, registration and or re-certification of Pharmaceutical Premises and Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendors’ Premises for licensing annually. In doing this, we were guided by the need to enthrone best practices and standards in the quality of practice obtainable in the pharmaceutical sector in Ebonyi State and to also ensure that the premises conform to the rules of engagement as prescribed by PCN.
I also had the privilege to serve as Chairman, Welfare Implementation Committee of PSN Ebonyi State branch, between 2005 to 2007 and was in-charge of the implementation of a Welfare Scheme for Pharmacists in the state. I also served as Secretary and Chairman of the Pharmacy week Planning Committees of PSN Ebonyi State branch in 2005 and 2014 respectively. An overwhelming majority of pharmacists in Nigeria also bestowed on me the outstanding honour and privilege of having served them as Assistant National Secretary of the PSN between 2012 and 2015.
In this capacity, I was also opportune to have served as the Acting National Secretary at times in the absence of the substantive National Secretaries then, Pharm. Victor Okwuosa and Pharm. Iyiola Gbolagade and I contributed my own quota to the advancement of the cause of our profession in Nigeria.
You are one of the aspirants contesting for the position of the national chairmanship of the AHAPN, in the forthcoming national conference of the association holding 30 July to 3 August 2018. Running with the slogan “Elechi is the answer”, could you state some of the answers you have got to resolve the challenges of hospital and administrative pharmacists in the country?
One of the major challenges we face as hospital and administrative pharmacists in Nigeria is the practice environment. You know pharmacy profession is an evolving one. We are moving from the traditional roles of Pharmacists as dispensers to offering a more comprehensive pharmaceutical care which includes: Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM), Pharmaco-vigilance, Prescription validation and audit.etc. But the greatest challenge we face is that whereas these practices have already taken roots in the western world with hospital pharmacists making important contributions in the patient-care chain, the authorities in Nigeria appear to have developed clay footedness in accepting and embracing the wind of change blowing across the globe in the area of pharmaceutical services in the hospital.
If elected as AHAPN National chairman, by God’s grace, I intend that the standards of our practice must be harmonised across the country. We would also segment the standards of practice according to the various levels of healthcare provision of primary, secondary and tertiary. We shall work closely with council on this project and we would be insisting on strict enforcement of the regulations by council. It is also my intention that the concept of Unit dose Dispensing System (UDDS) and the philosophy of pharmaceutical care would be enthroned as a minimum benchmark of practice at the tertiary level of provision of Pharmaceutical services in this country .In this wise, council would also be made to set standards and guidelines for this and we shall follow up on this through advocacy to the appropriate quarters.
The unavailability of essential medicines in many hospitals across the country is no longer news. This assertion was given credence to by even the First Lady of the Country, Hajia Aisha Buhari when sometime last year she visited State House Clinic and observed to her utter dismay that there were no basic medicines such as paracetamol. This undoubtedly remains an aberration and is totally unacceptable in the healthcare system. The reasons for this ugly situation varies and range from the practice of different models in the procurement-supply chain management of pharmaceuticals in different healthcare institutions in the country to the operation of a dysfunctional Drug Revolving Fund Scheme (DRFS) in some institutions.
The National Drug Policy of the country prescribes the operation of Drug Revolving Fund Scheme in health Institutions but in most institutions this prescription is observed in breach by their managements. If elected as National Chairman, I shall champion advocacy at a very high level of government which would result in harmonisation of the procurement-supply chain system for pharmaceuticals in all health institutions and bringing them to be in tandem with the prescription of the National Drug Policy on one hand and also we shall seek the enactment of a set of regulations which would strengthen the DRFS with a view to repositioning it as a business concern, a model of practice that would in turn yield good returns on investment to stakeholders annually.
Specifically, what major changes would you effect in hospital and administrative practice, if you emerge the national chairman of AHAPN?
We also intend that the pharmaceutical services departments of health institutions in the country would be restructured to reflect the paradigm shift and new realities in our practice. In line with this sterling objective, we shall cause to be sent in proposals for the creations of five (5) divisions in the department viz: Pharmacy Administration, Clinical Pharmacy, Public Health Pharmacy. Poisons, Drug and Food Information Services, Pharmacy Procurement-Supply Chain management and Drug Production and Quality Assurance. We shall also engage in meaningful dialogue and also pursue the implementation of the specialist pharmacist cardre for holders of the fellowship certificate of the West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists. This way, there would be abundance of highly skilled professional manpower with increased knowledge on drug administration and management to support the clinicians in the provision of quality healthcare to our patients. As you may be aware, healthcare services is a team work with the patient at the centre of all care endeavours. It is like a relay race where one sprinter hands over the baton to the next person.
Drug abuse and misuse has been a major public health challenge in the country for a while now. What’s your opinion on how best to resolve this issue and what roles can AHAPN members play in this regard?
Information, education and communication remain the major approach in educating of the lay public, especially the youths on the dangers of drug abuse/misuse. The agencies of government responsible for the enforcement of the laws especially on misuse and abuse of narcotics, psychotropic substances and illicit drugs in general must also be alive to their responsibilities. There should be no compromise on this. Strict enforcements of the laws remain the key to winning the war against drug abuse and misuse. The members of AHAPN can play vital roles in the areas of education and information of the public. In fact, it shall form one of the thrusts of our administration agenda, if elected National Chairman .If resources permit, we shall also run unprecedented media blitz on this.
What is your vision for AHAPN in the next 5 Years?
I envision better tomorrow for hospital and administrative pharmacists in Nigeria, a tomorrow wherein excellence would reign on our professional practice in all locations of practice. A tomorrow where the Drug Revolving Fund Scheme would be allowed to run unencumbered and it would be repositioned like an enterprise so as to assure continuous and uninterrupted availability of essential medicines in our hospitals on one hand, and also yield good returns on investments to stakeholders. I envision a tomorrow where conformity in the standards of our practice would be enthroned in all locations of practice across the country. My vision is to have hospital and administrative Pharmacy practice strictly and adequately regulated by council.
I envision a tomorrow where our association, AHAPN would have been repositioned to a model organisation that have climbed the mountaintop and found progress, prosperity and development and the overall happiness and well being of our members would be guaranteed.
On a final note, the above plans of action do not represent an absolute account on a sector-by-sector basis of what I intend to do if elected National Chairman, AHAPN. Rather, it is a modest effort to connect with our members on the task that lies ahead in the collective endeavour of strengthening our practice for better service delivery to our patients and building a better, strong and virile AHAPN.
I therefore ask for the mandate of the members of our Association to enable me performs this duty which my inner being relentlessly desires. I give our members my word of honour, I will deliver. So help me God!
-As Experts Endorse it for its Bioavailability, Patient Compliance
Poised to reduce the prevalence of malaria in the country, Elbe Pharma Nigeria Limited on Wednesday unveiled Amatem Forte Softgel- an innovative product, with lots of benefits for the patients, than what is derived from the normal Artemether Lumefantrine tablets.
The official unveiling of the product, which was well attended by medical experts, held at the MRC Hall, of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH).In attendance were: The Managing Director, Elbe Pharma Nigeria Ltd., Sir Uchenna Obiakor; Pharmanews Publisher, Sir Ifeanyi Atueyi; General Manager, Elbe Pharma, Shiva Kumar; Prof. O.O Adedeji; Dr Omoniyi Kayode Yemitan–Department of Pharmacology, Therapeutic and Toxicology LASUTH; Dr W.B Mutiu, and others.
A cross- section of dignitaries at the formal launching of Amatem Forte Softgel.
Speaking on the findings of a comparative study conducted on the bioavailability, efficacy and toxicity of Amatem Forte Softgel and another known brand of Artemeter –Lumefantrine tablet formulation, by a group of researchers from LASUTH, Dr Omoniyi Yemitan noted that Amatem Softgel was found to be more present in the blood stream than other brands of malaria tablets.
According to him: “It is expected that most of the drugs we take get to the blood stream that is what we call bioavailability. What we found out from the bioavailability study is that Amatem Softgel is more present in the bloodstream than the tablets. The implication is that Amatem Softgel can quickly attack malaria parasite in the bloodstream, than tablets”.
He however stated that the toxicity study of Amatem Softgel did not reveal any side effects of the drug on patients, and thus urged the pharmaceutical company to do an extension of the toxicity study in the future. “The study was focused on how much of the product is found in the blood stream and its effectiveness in treating malaria, and these showed significant positive results”.
A cross section of Elbe Pharma Staff at the formal launching of Amatem Forte Softgel.
The Managing Director, Elbe Pharma, Nigeria Ltd., Sir Uchenna Obiakor also attested to the efficacy of the drug, with the level of demand for the product the company gets daily. He said: “People have started testifying about the efficacy of the product, in fact, the quantity of the product that is moving right now is unbelievable. And it may interest you to know that some persons are already addicted to the Amatem Softgel”.
On the affordability of the product to the Nigerian populace, he said they have tried so much to ensure that everyone can afford the product, not minding the high technology used in producing it. “Yes we have done tremendous work on this to ensure that the masses can easily afford the product. The technology is quite different from that of the tablet, and going by this technology, it may be difficult for a lot of people to afford it, but we tried as much as we can to reduce the price, to ensure that every Tom, Dick and Harry can afford it. It is easily affordable, compared to the therapeutic benefits derived from the formulation.
In his contribution, the Brand Manager, Elbe Pharma, Mr Augustine Aisabokhale, described Amatem Softgel as an innovative product, which has a lot of benefits for patients, that is, benefits that are not derivable from normal Artemether- Lumefantrine tablets. “There is increased bioavailability, also there is patient’ complaint, because it is quoted from taste, it is not bitter, and easy to swallow.
“Amatem Softgel does not have any report regarding side effects. It is also affordable, though it is more capital intensive to produce, regarding the technology behind the production. However, we have tried as much as possible to reduce the price to the bareast minimum for the affordability of the masses”.
Pharm. Abdulrashid Bashar Buhari, is the Deputy Director of Pharmaceutical Service and the Head of Department, National Eye Centre, Kaduna. A former national vice chairman and national secretary of the Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists of Nigeria (AHAPN), Pharm. Buhari is also the Project Manager of the Essential Drugs Revolving Fund Scheme, of the National Eye Centre, Kaduna. He is a major contender for the position of the AHAPN national chairman, in the upcoming election, scheduled to hold at the 20th Annual National Scientific Conference of AHAPN, from 30 July to 3 August 2018, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. In this exclusive chat with Pharmanewsonline, Buhari speaks on how he will use his wealth of experience, to liaise with all relevant agencies and stakeholders, from the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation, to the Federal Ministry of Health, to the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, to the National Council on Establishment, to bring about the desired result that would favour members of AHAPN, if he emerges the AHAPN national chairman.
Pharm. Abdulrashid Bashar Buhari, is the Deputy Director of Pharmaceutical Service and the Head of Department, National Eye Centre, Kaduna.
Excerpt below:
As a former national secretary of AHAPN, what stimulated your interest in organised pharmacy activities, and in what other capacity have you functioned in professional association?
Firstly, my love for the pharmacy profession has been my driving force in all activities I find myself, as it relates to the profession. Generally speaking, my life has ever been devoted to serving God and humanity, right from my primary school days, up to the university, even to my present workplace. My greatest interest in life has been to defend peoples’ right and to protect their interests. I have also functioned as the national vice chairman of AHAPN.
Tell about your work experience and achievements made so far?
Presently, I am a Deputy Director of Pharmaceutical Service and the Head of Department. A position I have held from 1992. I was able to set up the Essential Drugs Revolving Fund Scheme in the hospital, established the local production of eye drop unit, Library and drug information unit. Again, I successfully established the pharmacy consultation unit as against the window dispensing designed for the hospital. I am also the Project Manager of the Essential Drugs Revolving Fund Scheme. Furthermore, I was privileged to serve in the Strategic Planning Committee that designed the roadmap for National Eye Centre.
I have held the following positions in the Senior Staff Association of the National Eye Centre, Kaduna: Branch Secretary, 1993 – 2001; Branch Vice-Chairman, 2001 -2009; Branch Chairman, 2009 – 2014; and Branch JOHESU Chairman 2011 – 2014.
You are a strong contender for the position of the national chairman of AHAPN in the upcoming election at the 20th Annual Scientific Conference of AHAPN, what is the significance of your campaign slogan, “Forging a better future for all” to the practice?
My campaign slogan “Forging a better future for all”, reveals my intention to consolidate on the gains we have made so far by collaborating with members of our Association, the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Office of the Head of Service of the Federation, National Council on Establishment, Federal Ministry of Health, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment and other relevant ministries and agencies as the need arise.
There have been several challenges facing pharmacists, especially hospital and administrative pharmacists in the country. Could you mention some of them and how you intend to resolve them, if you emerge the national chairman of AHAPN?
I can identify four broad challenges affecting hospital and administrative pharmacists in the country. These are: (i) Indiscriminate application of scheme of service; (ii). Non-recognition of pharmacist consultants; (iii) Non uniformity in designation of Heads of Pharmacies in hospitals; (iv) Training and retraining of hospital and administrative Pharmacists, etc.
In tackling 1-3 above, I intend to work with various stakeholders including the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation to issue and release relevant circulars to address the issues. In addition, liaising with National Council on Establishment, Ministry of Labour and Employment and other relevant ministries and agencies, to bring about the desired result that would favour members of AHAPN. I would also pragmatically engage with like-minded individuals and groups to forge a common ground which will promote the aspirations of members.
In tackling the fourth challenge, I intend to use the instrumentality of workshops and seminars to encourage members to be enterprising with a view to sponsor themselves for trainings and retraining.
Aside all these you have said, what tangible offer do you have for all hospital and administrative pharmacists in Nigeria?
I bring my experience to the table. It might be interesting to note that part of the benefits our members are enjoying presently, were achieved during my tenure as a member of the national executive. Also, I have garnered experience both as a good manager of men and resources, to become a robust unionist, who values the core values of humanity. As a deputy director, I believe my modest contributions locally and nationally to the strides of AHAPN will come in handy if I am given the mandate as the national chairman of the Association.
Where do you intend to see AHAPN in the next ten years?
In ten years’ time, I want to see that all the challenges raised above are resolved and pharmacists take their rightful positions in the public service at all tiers of government.
The struggle to give nursing and nurses the professional recognition they deserve in the country has been a protracted one. At the beginning of the struggle, efforts were made to look inwards and identify the inherent professional factors in nursing, which could be put forward to the government for proper professional recognition and placement. Efforts were made to convince the government that nursing in Nigeria meets the established criteria for classifying a line of work as a profession. These include:
The profession has a special body of knowledge acquired through a long period of recognised educational programme, on which its skills and services are based; and continually expands this body of knowledge through continuing investigation, analysis and research.
NANNM President, comrade Abdrafiu Adeniji
The profession has a service orientation or concern which provides some needed unique services to the people which cannot be given by everybody (expertise).
The profession establishes and controls its own polices and activities. It is self-regulating with its practitioners in full control of their functions and services which are standardised by its code of ethics in the interest of the consumers; who experience and declare the quality of such services (Autonomy).
The profession has an association (to which all practitioners belong) to monitor, foster and ensure quality of education and practice as well as representing the members in negotiating condition of services and social wellbeing.
Roy Bixler (1981) in agreement with these criteria, observed that a profession’s integrity is in its power to formulate provisional polices and control of professional activities.
Nursing education
On nursing education, it is not only of long duration but also at higher educational level. For schools of nursing, the period is 36 calendar months. For university-based nursing education, the duration is five years. Pratt (1968) relating education to standard, submitted thus: “It was realised that to raise the standard of nursing and to meet the increasing scientific knowledge and ever changing needs of the community, candidates with broad educational background, intellectual ability, technical dexterity and emotional stability are needed to meet the challenges not only of the present, but of the future”. This led to the review of basic nursing curriculum to include some general knowledge and social and natural science subjects.
In September 1964, the Department of Nursing at University of Ibadan was founded. Admission of the first set of students for the Bsc. programme was conducted in September, 1965. This was the first indigenous entry into university education in Nigeria. It is pertinent to mention here that educational advancement for professional development requires professional association in the frontiers of the struggle for professional emancipation. The birth of National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) in 1981, led the struggle for recognition of the professional status of nursing.
The above measures and more were put in place to improve the standard of nursing service delivery system and establish professionalism of nursing in Nigeria. This recognition of nursing as a profession was concretised and epitomised by the Industrial Arbitration Panel (IAP) award declaration of 1981, which states: “Nursing is a profession ‘sui’ generis, subject to no directions or control whatsoever by any profession, except in so far as it forms part of the organic whole”.
Threats to full recognition
With this award and recognition of nursing as a full-fledged profession, the implementation which would have redressed the lingering relegation of nursing and inappropriate remuneration of nurses, was expected to follow smoothly in Nigeria. Disappointingly, however, this never happened. Instead, various antics to make the award redundant started coming from government officials.
For instance, the recommended appointment of a director of nursing services (item 5 of the IAP ward) was made to be at the pleasure of the Minister of Health. NANNM was at a time informed that: “a nurse can be promoted to the post of director but the minister has the prerogative to organise the ministry to suit his Administration.”
In 1991, Professor Olikoye Ransome Kuti, the then Minister of Health restructured the ministry of health and scrapped nursing division on the grounds that he could not see the need to separate nursing from medicine.
The same year, under Prof. Kuti, the Ministry of Health wrote a letter to the executive secretary, National University Commission, to stop designing or approving university degree programmes for health professionals (including nurses) other than medical doctors.
In addition, the needed professional scheme of service which would have adequately addressed items 3 and 4 of the award was always being checkmated by government officials. Thus, since the struggle seemed not to have been resolved by the IAP award, the legal tussle was taken to courts of competent jurisdiction. Thus in 1981, 1999, 2010 and 2012, respectively, there were nine judgments that consolidated the professional status of nursing in Nigeria.
Nurses therefore continued to express their frustration to the extent of being seen as perpetual complainants against professional injustice. The struggle for full implementation of the award took centre stage, with frequent trade disputes and strained industrial harmony in the health sector. This no doubt continued to have negative effect on nursing service delivery system, with nurses’ image at the receiving end. (Continues next edition)
By Comrade Nurse Abdrafiu Alani Adeniji
(National President, National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives)
UN agencies said a record-breaking of about 123 million, or nine out of 10, infants, received at least one dose of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine in 2017 globally.
The vaccines protected the 123 million children from deadly infectious diseases, according to data from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The data said an additional 4.6 million infants were vaccinated globally in 2017, compared to 2010, due to the pace of global population growth.
A child receiving the vaccine
The data showed that 167 countries included a second dose of measles vaccine, as part of their routine vaccination schedule, and 162 countries now use rubella vaccines.
As a result, global coverage against measles and rubella increased from 35 per cent in 2010, to 52 per cent.
The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine was introduced in 79 countries to help protect women against cervical cancer.
Newly available inoculations are also being added as part of the overall package of life-saving vaccinations, such as those to protect against meningitis, malaria, and even Ebola.
“Despite these successes, almost 20 million infants did not receive the benefits of full immuniation in 2017.
“Of these, almost eight million, or 40 per cent, live in fragile or crisis-affected places, including countries affected by conflict,” the UN agencies said.
In addition, a growing percentage are from middle-income countries, where increasing inequality and marginalisation – particularly among the urban poor – prevent many from getting immunised.
WHO and UNICEF said as populations grow, more countries need to increase their investments in immunisation programmes.
The leadership of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) and the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) on Monday, 16 July 2018, met at the Lagos Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, to promote interprofessional relationship in the Nigerian Healthcare sector.
Present at the meeting were: PSN President, Pharm. Ahmed I. Yakasai; NMA President, Dr Francis Faduyile; Chairman, PSN Inter-professional Committee, Sir Ifeanyi Atueyi; and Secretary General, NMA, Dr Olumuyiwa Peter Odusote.
L-R: Chairman,PSN Inter-professional Committee, Sir Ifeanyi Atueyi; NMA President, Dr Francis Faduyile; PSN President, Pharm. Ahmed I. Yakasai and Secretary General, NMA, Dr Olumuyiwa Peter Odusote.
Speaking on the essence of the meeting, Pharm. Yakasai said PSN is interested in collaborating with NMA, in order to foster a peaceful atmosphere of practice in the health sector, as well as to familiarise themselves with the new leadership of the NMA.
Dr Kingsley Chiedu Amibor, is the national vice chairman, Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists of Nigeria (AHAPN), and a Clinical Pharmacist with the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Asaba, where he currently occupies the position of Assistant Director of Pharmaceutical Services (ADPS). He is also a Consultant Pharmacist and a Fellow of the West African Post Graduate College of Pharmacists (FPCPharm). A major aspirant for the position of the AHAPN national chairman in the forthcoming election, scheduled to hold at the 20th Annual National Scientific Conference of AHAPN, from 30 July to 3 August 2018, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. In this exclusive chat with pharmanewsonline, Dr Aminor reveals his vision to rebrand and reposition hospital and administrative practice, through his 8-Point Agenda. Excerpts below:
Dr Kingsley Chiedu Amibor, is the national vice chairman, Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists of Nigeria (AHAPN)
Tell us about your work experience in the hospital, and what informed your involvement in organised pharmacy activities?
I joined the hospital sector in January 2001, specifically the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba, a parastatal under the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) from the industrial sector. Being a core parastatal, I have remained with the centre since 2001. I rose through the ranks at the centre to become an Assistant Director of Pharmaceutical Services (ADPS). Inside the hospital, I have worked in various sections and headed such units as Accident and Emergency (A&E) Pharmacy, Obstetrics and Gynaecology (O &G) Pharmacy, Drug Information Centre, Inpatient Pharmacy among others.
My involvement in NAHAP (now AHAPN) began as the Chairman of the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba Chapter in 2006, from where I went to serve the Delta State Branch in 2008, first as vice chairman, and later as chairman in 2011. I was also assistant general secretary of the Delta State Branch of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) from 2011 to 2013. In 2015, I was elected the national vice chairman of AHAPN, a position I occupy till today by the grace of God. I am the pioneer Editor-in-Chief of the health magazine of the Association known as “The Hospital Pharmacist.” The maiden edition of the Magazine was launched at the 19th Annual National Conference of AHAPN in Lagos 2017. Hopefully, the 2nd Edition will be launched at this year’s conference in Port Harcourt. My love for the profession and the desire to serve humanity, prompted me into holding all these positions.
As a major aspirant of the position of the AHAPN national chairman, what is your goal for vying for this post?
Like I did say, I rose through the ranks in AHAPN, rising from being a chapter chairman to being the incumbent national vice chairman. I have been a member of AHAPN Council for 7 uninterrupted years and member of the National Executive Committee for the past three years. These positions have afforded me the opportunity of having firsthand knowledge of the challenges confronting hospital and administrative pharmacy practice in Nigeria (and I can assure you that they are myriads). As the saying goes, knowledge is power; so having got a good knowledge of these challenges, effectively puts me and my team in a better position to tackle and overcome them by the grace of God, for the ultimate good and progress of the pharmacy profession.
Specifically, what major changes would you effect in hospital and administrative practice if you emerge the national chairman of AHAPN?
I did mention the fact that there are challenges confronting hospital pharmacy practice.
➢ One of such challenges is what I may call lack of brand identity. For instance, medical doctors are synonymous with medical care, nurses with nursing care, but what do people identify hospital pharmacists with? Most times they refer to us as dispensers or chemists at best. So if given the opportunity to become national chairman of AHAPN, one of my first assignments will be to embark on corporate rebranding. By this, I mean that we will adopt pharmaceutical care as our philosophy of practice. In other words, we will offer care as our brand of care, and graduate from the age old “Dispenser Status” that we have been identified with over the years. God willing, we will do away with “window dispensing” permanently as the rest of the world has done, including African countries. There will be need to restructure existing pharmacy departments in various hospitals to create confidential chambers for patient counseling.
Dr Kingsley Chiedu Amibor, is the national vice chairman, Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists of Nigeria (AHAPN)
How will this be feasible? With my training as a clinical pharmacist, I know this is very feasible, but might take some time to implement fully. We will embark on aggressive and extensive advocacy to the relevant ministry, management of tertiary hospitals such as chief medical directors of teaching hospitals and medical directors of federal medical centers across the country and gradually move to secondary care hospitals. We will also embark on in-house advocacy to our colleagues and sensitize them on the need to key into our intended pharmaceutical care reforms. Since pharmaceutical care has become the norm all over the world, we will strive to offer the benefits of such care to the Nigerian people, the ultimate benefit being improvement in and maintenance of the quality of life.
➢ As part of the corporate rebranding, we will embark on health education and health promotion activities (which is part of our training as clinical pharmacists) at both national and state levels, to shore up the image of the hospital pharmacist whom the public for a long time saw as the man behind the window that dishes out drugs to patients (though that mentality is gradually changing). This we will do in collaboration with the media.
Nigerians need to know that pharmacists are a body of professionals with diverse knowledge and training to impact positively on health care delivery. As core care givers, we are in a position to render service in such a way as to improve patient outcomes positively.
➢ Another item on my agenda is an improvement in the welfare of our members, and we intend to give the average hospital and administrative pharmacist a sense of belonging and to carry them along in all we do.
➢ We will work with the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) and other relevant bodies to ensure release of the circular on consultancy for pharmacists in the country. Good thing that some states are already giving recognition to consultant pharmacists, we expect more to join in the near future, with the federal government taking the lead.
➢ Another area of focus will be to encourage specialization in core areas of pharmacy among our members. The rest of the world has moved on in this regard and pharmacists cannot afford to lag behind. Gone are the days when you will see a medical doctor or nurse or medical laboratory scientist carrying out his entire professional duties all by himself or herself. There is a popular saying about a jack of all trades been master of none. If we can have a respiratory physician or dialysis nurse or chemical pathology medical laboratory scientist, nothing says we should not equally have a psychiatric care pharmacist or renal care pharmacist and so on. The healthcare sector is very dynamic and all professionals practicing therein are now specializing and equipping themselves with skills and competencies to render optimal patient care.
As a matter of fact, I have put together what I call an 8-Point-Agenda on the way forward for hospital and administrative pharmacy practice in Nigeria. But I may not be able for lack of time to exhaust all of them in this interview.
For some time now, hospital pharmacists have been complaining about being marginalised by the doctors. What would you do to rectify this if you emerge the national chairman of AHAPN?
Good question. Of a truth, pharmacists are being marginalised in Nigeria. You find pharmacists spend 5 or 6 years in pharmacy school (just like their medical colleagues) depending on whether Bachelor of Pharmacy or Doctor of Pharmacy programme, and upon graduation, you find out that the disparity in pay is so much. For instance, a director of pharmacy in a tertiary hospital nwho has put in 35 years in the civil service goes home with less than five hundred thousand naira or thereabout monthly, whereas a medical consultant less than 12 years post qualification earns about a million naira monthly. In most hospitals, almost all committees and clinical units are headed by medical doctors only, including offices of Chairman Medical Advisory Committee (CMAC), deputy CMAC, and so on.
You discover that a pharmacist with a Masters degree in Public Health (MPH) is not even appointed into the hospitals ethics committee, which is always dominated by medical doctors, some with just first degree (MBBS). Patient care all over the world is a collaborative process involving the medical doctor, pharmacist, nurse and other healthcare professionals with the patient at the centre. So if I get elected as national chairman, we will pursue a path of dialogue to make the medical doctors realise that healthcare delivery is teamwork and they must carry other professionals along in the overall interest of the patient. We will do everything possible within a legal framework to improve on the existing relationship between medical doctors and pharmacists.
Aside all these you have mentioned, what tangible offer do you have for all hospital and administrative pharmacists in Nigeria?
I like to begin by correcting an impression; that is the Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists of Nigeria (AHAPN) as the name goes, comprises not just hospital based pharmacists, but those in administrative positions like (NAFDAC and others) and regulatory as well (including ministry of health). So you see we are talking about a wide body of pharmacists.
One thing we promise all pharmacists is that God willing, we will give them a sense of belonging. We will cause the voice of the pharmacist to be heard. We will strive to achieve job satisfaction for all pharmacists. The other issues we will tackle are enumerated in the 8 Point Agenda already mentioned. My campaign slogan is “Its time to rebrand, reposition and repossess Hospital and Administrative Pharmacy Practice” and I mean every word of that, God helping us. This is what I promise all pharmacists, again God willing.
What is your vision for AHAPN in the next 5 years?
My vision for AHAPN in the next 5 years is that of a group of pharmacists who will render quality and optimal care services to patients in collaboration with other healthcare givers, in a conducive practice environment, with a sense of fulfillment and guaranteed job satisfaction.
No fewer than 229 candidates showed up on Sunday, 15 July 2018, at the University of Benin (UNIBEN) for the one-week clerkship training programme of the special PharmD.
Addressing participants at the opening ceremony which held at the Senate building of the school, Pharm. N.A.E Mohammed, registrar, Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) explained that the programme is a call to duty to move pharmacy to the next level.
“Dear colleagues, I salute your determination and strong will to make the programme work. Let us see our effort as sacrifice to our dear profession. As you all know, the special PharmD programme started in February 2018 and it is progressing as scheduled,” he said.
L-R: Dr Teresa Pound, clinical assistant professor, Marcos University; Dr Leo Egbujiobi, president, NAPPSA and Pharm. Bruno Nwankwo, former chairman, PCN board.
The PCN registrar expressed appreciation to the team of facilitators from the Nigerian Association of Pharmacists and Pharmaceutical Scientists in the Americas (NAPPSA) who have volunteered despite their busy schedules to travel to UNIBEN as instructors and resource persons for the clerkship programme.
“I don’t know where we would have been today in pharmacy profession in Nigeria if not for the strong support of NAPPSA leadership. I wish to specially thank Dr Teresa Pounds, who as chairperson of NAPPSA Education Committee, took up the PharmD issue in Nigeria, making personal sacrifice to date.
A cross section of participants at the clerkship training
“I wish to place it on record that her coordination of the clerkship training programme is at no fee. I want to also thank our own Pharm. Bruno Nwankwo and Prof. A. O. Okhamafe, whom we all refer to as Father of PharmD in Nigeria,” he applauded.
Mohammed noted further that the diverse responsibilities every facilitator and stakeholder have shouldered in ensuring the successful transition of B.Pharm to PharmD within the period under review would remain indelible in the history of PharmD in Nigeria.
In a related development, Dr Leo Egbujiobi, president, NAPPSA remarked that he was highly impressed with the turnout of 229 pharmacists drawn from the different arms of the profession.
L-R: Pharm. N.A.E Mohammed, registrar, Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN; Prof. John Akerele, dean, UNIBEN Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharm. Vern Ohaya, managing director, Trustee Drugs.
The NAPPSA president was hopeful that for as long as they have shown commitment, they would be the better for it.
“This is because the more you learn, the better you become,” he stressed.
Dr Teresa Pound, clinical assistant professor, Marcos University seemed to concur with his assertion when she also noted that as a preceptor, their roles would be seen in the light of a teacher, facilitator, coach and a role model.
Other high profile dignitaries in attendance were Pharm. Vern Ohaya, managing director, Trustee Drugs; Pharm. Bruno Nwankwo, former chairman, PCN board; Prof. John Akerele, dean, UNIBEN Faculty of Pharmacy; Dr (Mrs) Uche Ndefo, associate professor of Pharmacy practice; Prof. Mbang Femi-Oyewo, former dean, Faculty of Pharmacy, Olabisi Onabanjo Univeristy (OOU); Dr (Mrs) Pamela Moye-Dikerson, clinical associate professor of Pharmacy Practice; Prof. Patrick Erah, Special PharmD programme coordinator and Dr (Mrs) Kate Okpukpara, clinical pharmacist AMC.
