-Says non-implementation fuelling brain drain
For the massive brain drain in the country, especially among pharmacists to be curbed, the Federal Government has been charged on the urgent implementation of all circulars on Pharmacy consultancy, new entry point and new call duty allowances for pharmacists with Pharm.D.
The Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists of Nigeria (AHAPN) National, gave the charge to government in a statement made available to pharmanewsonline, as it decried the restriction of headship of the health sector to physicians alone, contrary to practices in advanced countries like UK, US, Canada, Australia, and others.
The statement which was signed by the National Chairman, AHAPN, Pharm. Olabode Ogunjemiyo, also condemned all sorts of discriminations against pharmacists in public hospitals, in terms of poor remuneration, refusal of pharmacists to participate in ward rounds, denial of call rooms, non-advancement or promotion to CONHESS 15, short-changing of pharmacists working in medical centres of universities, polytechnics,and pathetic, unfavourable working conditions of pharmacists.
Ogunjemiyo recalled how the PSN has recorded the emigration of over 5000 pharmacists within a period of five years, all in the bid to escape from the gross discrimination and humiliation being meted out to them in the country. He said unless the situation is arrested outrightly, any further delay may degenerate into an unimaginable crisis.
He said “The Federal Government since 2020, circularised and gazetted the immediate implementation of Pharmacy consultant cadre in all its institutions. This was a follow-up of the approval granted by the National Council of Establishment (NCE) the official body empowered to do such, in 2020. However, it is sad to note that the Federal Ministry of Health and some other forces have withstood its implementation.
“It is counterproductive for the Federal Ministry of Health and Chief Executives of Nigerian public hospitals to oppose the implementation of pharmacy consultancy in defiance of the specific directives of the Federal Government headed by His Excellency President Mohammed Buhari.
“The Federal Ministry of Health and the Chief Medical Directors/ Medical Directors should be directed to immediately implement all the circulars approved by the government. The pharmacists with West African Post-graduate College of Pharmacists should be immediately appointed as contained in the circular and PharmD holders properly placed with the new call duty allowance.
“The headship of the health sector should be thrown open to both physicians and non-physicians who have the extra administrative skills, training and knowledge. This will ensure equity, neutrality and prevent the undue bias and politics being played by the physicians to favour only their colleagues”.
Concerning the various discriminations against pharmacists, the AHAPN National Chairman has further recommended different means of resolving them amiably as a stop gap to brain drain and a peaceful coexistence in the health sector. He proposed a review of the CONHESS salary scale the same way the physician's CONMESS is reviewed.
He has also called for the approval of pharmacists to access patients' medical records and involvement of pharmacists in ward rounds, noting that pharmacists in the hospital setting need this direct access to patients' health data to enable them provide effective and continuous pharmaceutical care.
Revamping of Drug Revolving Fund Scheme, was another suggestion put forward by Ogunjemiyo in resolving the imbroglio in the health sector, as he argues that provision of necessary logistics to enable pharmacists practice the compounding of drugs in hospitals as well as unencumbered implementation of the drug revolving fund scheme is in line with the approved policy.
According to him “The relevant agencies should treat the pharmacists working in medical centres of universities, polytechnics, monotechnics and colleges of education like those working in the government hospitals. They should also enjoy the same salary structure of CONHESS as their counterparts in government hospitals”.
