Pharmacists in Lagos have renewed calls for sweeping reforms in Nigeria’s drug distribution system, expanded health insurance coverage for pharmacy services, and proper recognition of pharmacists as central players in the nation’s healthcare delivery.
They warned that failure to address these systemic issues will continue to endanger public health, weaken regulation, and slow progress toward universal health coverage.
The call came during the Lagos State celebration of the 2025 World Pharmacists Day, themed “Think Health, Think Pharmacist,” held at the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) Secretariat, Ogudu. The event featured a health walk to the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) Secretariat in Ketu Alapere, alongside medical outreach, media advocacy and training sessions.
In his address, ACPN Lagos Chairman, Pharm. Tolu Ajayi, described Nigeria’s drug distribution network as “chaotic and unsafe,” blaming weak enforcement of the National Drug Distribution Guidelines (NDDG) for the proliferation of fake and substandard medicines.
“Until Lagos and other states take the NDDG seriously, the safety of our medicine supply will remain at risk,” he said. “Pharmacists must be at the centre of every drug supply chain because no other professional is better trained to guarantee quality and authenticity.”
Ajayi lamented the persistent sidelining of community pharmacists in state health programmes, noting that they remain the most accessible and trusted healthcare providers in communities.
“Government cannot claim to be delivering primary healthcare while ignoring community pharmacists,” he said. “We are the first point of contact for most patients, yet we are left out of critical policy and funding decisions.”
Echoing his views, Lagos PSN Chairman, Pharm. Babayemi Oyekunle, criticised the exclusion of pharmacists from both the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) framework and the state’s health insurance scheme, describing the policy as “a fundamental flaw” that deprives patients of quality pharmaceutical care.
“A health insurance system that fails to recognise the pharmacist’s role is defective at its core,” he declared. “Pharmacists are the gatekeepers of safe medicine use, and their input is indispensable to patient safety and cost-effective healthcare.”
He urged the Lagos State Government to stop paying lip service to healthcare reforms while sidelining pharmacists in implementation.
“You cannot achieve universal health coverage without pharmacists,” Oyekunle said. “We must move beyond rhetoric and make policy inclusion a reality.”
Also speaking, immediate past ACPN Lagos Chairman, Pharm. Lawrence Ekhator, encouraged pharmacists to intensify media and public advocacy to correct misconceptions about their profession. He stressed that despite being indispensable to patient care and drug safety, pharmacists are still under-recognised.
“The public must understand that pharmacists are not just dispensers but clinicians ensuring the right medicine gets to the right patient, safely and effectively,” he said.
According to the Lagos ACPN, this year’s celebration — which included a health walk, community outreach, and media engagements was designed to reinforce the message that pharmacists are integral to building a resilient, patient-centred healthcare system.
The association insisted that without urgent reforms in drug distribution, health insurance inclusion, and professional recognition, Nigeria’s healthcare system will remain fragile and ill-equipped to meet the needs of its growing population.
The event drew a large turnout of pharmacists, zonal leaders, and healthcare advocates, who pledged to sustain advocacy for reforms that will place pharmacy at the heart of the nation’s health agenda.
