The Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) has cautioned patent medicine vendors against the prescription and sales of drugs outside the approved list given to them and that they should also desist from injecting their customers.
The Registrar of the Council, Pharm. Elijah Mohammed, gave the warning during the week in Osogbo, the capital of Osun State, insisting that violators will be punished accordingly.
Pharm. Mohammed, who spoke during the opening of the orientation course for 110 newly licensed patent medicine vendors , was represented by the Director, South West Zonal Office of the PCN, Mrs Yejide Oseni, said the council would not relent in ensuring that the unwholesome practices by medicine vendors were stopped.
In a report broadcast by Channels TV, he urged the vendors not to violate any of the laws put in place to regulate their practice. “Anyone caught would be dealt with according to the law,” he said.
The PCN boss also promised that the medicine vendors would be protected from being harassed by some government agencies, but advised them not to go outside the guidelines regulating their practice.
“The PCN has received reports across the country, of harassment of vendors by some government agencies. The registry has initiated talks with some of the government agencies, with the aim of ensuring that patent and proprietary medicine vendor license holders are protected from every form of harassment from any agency provided they abide by the list, display their license and signpost,” he told the vendors.
