…Marks World Pharmacists Day 2025 with health walk, advocacy
Pharmacists in Lagos have called on the state government to urgently reform Nigeria’s drug distribution system, expand health insurance to include pharmacy services, and accord pharmacists their rightful recognition in the healthcare sector. They warned that failure to address these long-standing issues will continue to endanger public health and undermine the country’s quest for universal health coverage.
The call was made during the Lagos State celebration of the 2025 World Pharmacists Day, themed “Think Health, Think Pharmacist,” held at the Lagos PSN Secretariat, Ogudu.
The event featured a health walk to the ACPN Secretariat in Ketu Alapere, a community health outreach, media engagement and capacity-building sessions, all aimed at highlighting the central role of pharmacists in national healthcare delivery.
In his address, the Chairman of ACPN Lagos, Pharm. Tolu Ajayi, decried the persistent failure of the Lagos State Government to fully implement the National Drug Distribution Guidelines (NDDG), describing the current distribution network as chaotic and unsafe, stressing that until the state prioritises the enforcement of proper supply chain systems, citizens will remain vulnerable to fake, substandard and counterfeit medicines.
Ajayi emphasised that pharmacists must be at the heart of drug supply and monitoring, as no other professional is better equipped to ensure the safety, authenticity and quality of medicines reaching the public.
He further criticised the Lagos State Government for sidelining community pharmacists in its health policies, warning that their exclusion from official programmes is not only unjust but also detrimental to patients who rely on pharmacists for first-line healthcare.
ACPN boss maintained that pharmacists are the most accessible healthcare providers in communities, yet they are often treated as an afterthought in government planning. He called on the state to end this neglect and give pharmacists a stronger role in grassroots healthcare delivery.
Similarly, the Chairman of Lagos PSN, Pharm. Babayemi Oyekunle, expressed deep concern about the continued ill-treatment of pharmacists at the level of National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) and from Lagos State’s insurance programme, describing the policy as a deliberate attempt to weaken the profession and deny patients access to safe and affordable medicines.
Babayemi argued that a health insurance framework without adequate input of pharmacists is fundamentally defective, as patients’ primary contact with healthcare is often at the pharmacy. He stressed that government must stop treating pharmacy practice as an optional add-on and instead integrate pharmacists into every level of healthcare financing and policy execution.
The PSN boss added that the Lagos State Government, in particular, needs to stop paying lip service to healthcare reforms while ignoring pharmacists in practical terms. According to him, true universal health coverage cannot be achieved without mainstreaming pharmacists into the system.
While acknowledging the significant contributions of the profession, immediate past ACPN Lagos Chairman, Pharm. Lawrence Ekhator, urged pharmacists to intensify their media advocacy efforts to correct long-standing misconceptions about their role in the healthcare system.
He noted that despite their indispensable role in patient care and drug safety, pharmacists are still under-recognised, and sustained public engagement is essential to reverse this trend.
The Lagos ACPN explained that this year’s activities, the road walk, health outreach and engagements with the public and the media, were designed to reinforce the message that pharmacists remain central to health and must be seen as partners in building a resilient healthcare system.
The association insisted that without urgent reforms in drug distribution, meaningful inclusion in health insurance, and official recognition in health policy, Nigeria’s healthcare system will remain fragile and unable to meet the needs of its citizens.
The celebration drew a large turnout of pharmacy stakeholders, zonal coordinators and members across Lagos State, who joined the call for reforms while marking the 2025 World Pharmacists Day with re newed advocacy and solidarity.
L-R, Pharm. Lawrence Ekhator, immediate past chairman, ACPN; Pharm. Babayemi Oyekunle, chairman, Lagos PSN; Pharm. Tolu Ajayi, chairman, Lagos ACPN; and Pharm. Mosunmola Dosumu, secretary, Lagos ACPN, at the Media Conference for the WPD 2025, held at the Lagos PSN office, Ogudu, Lagos.
