By Adebayo Folorunsho-Francis –
In what many health professionals in the Diaspora have described as a laudable move, the Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu-led ministry of health has officially entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Nigerian Association of Pharmacists and Pharmaceutical Scientists in the Americas (NAPPSA), as well as inaugurated a technical committee to drive its execution.
The ceremony, which took place at Chelsea Hotel in Abuja late last year, was witnessed by several members of NAPPSA and other health officials.
Speaking at the event, minister of health, Prof. Chukwu, said that the objective of the memo was to collaborate with Nigerian health professionals, in order to contribute to the education and training of manpower in health, research, service delivery, skills transfer, quality assurance and investment, which would translate into enhanced quality health care service delivery.
“In 2012, I had the opportunity of attending the NAPPSA conference in Chicago, in which challenges confronting health care in Nigeria were discussed,” he said. “I am therefore excited to note that your association has decided to respond to the clarion call of well-meaning Nigerians for contributions that will impact positively on the transformation of health care system in the country.”
It is expected that the MoU will provide a unique opportunity for information and expertise sharing in such areas as health education, pharmacy and pharmaceutical education, career and professional development, pharmacy practice and governance, pharmaceutical products and medical device importation, as well as pharmaceutical manufacturing testing and distribution.
Aside from NAPPSA, the Federal Ministry of Health had also, in 2012, entered into memoranda of understanding with many health-related diaspora associations like the Medical Association of Nigerians Across Great Britain (MANSAG) and Canadian Association of Nigerian Physicians and Dentists (CANPAD). Others were Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas (ANPA), National Association of Nigerian Nurses in North America (NANNNA) and Nigerian Nurses Charitable Association in the UK (NNCA-UK).
