– As NAPA marks 15th annual national conference
To further ensure that patients remain the ultimate beneficiary, pharmacists in academia and hospitals have been urged to embrace inter-collaboration among healthcare professionals.
Addressing participant at the 15th annual national conference and scientific meeting of the Nigeria Association of Pharmacists in Academia (NAPA) which held on August 22, 2017, at Sickle Cell Centre, Idi-Araba, Lagos, Prof. Boladale Silva, chairman of the occasion, said putting heads together is the key to promoting unity among health professionals.
“In everything we do, one thing should be key – the concept of collaboration. Let us try as much as possible to collaborate with others,” he canvassed.
This much was corroborated by Sir Ifeanyi Atueyi, vice president, Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy (NAPharm) who said the academy is pleased to be part of NAPA initiative.
It would be recalled that physicians under the aegis of Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas (ANPA) in collaboration with Nigerian Association of Pharmacists and pharmaceutical Scientists in the Americas (NAPPSA) and Nigerian Nurses Association in the Americas met at a joint conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States from June 23 to 26, 2017 to fashion out ways to improve interprofessional relationship.
Following the historic meeting, an interprofessional relations committee was inaugurated by the top hierarchy of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria to devise further means to improve relationship among healthcare professionals.
It subsequently culminated in an inter-collaborative symposium some months ago at Prof. Ade Ajayi Conference Hall in UNILAG with about eight professional health bodies in attendance.
“In all of these, the patient is the ultimate beneficiary. Beside, any of us can become patient at any time,” he opined.
Meanwhile Professor S.R.A Akinbo, deputy provost, College Of Medicine, University of Lagos (CMUL) called on NAPA to intensify efforts on research and development, stating that there was a time Asian academics and researchers used to visit Nigeria to look at our journals and publications.
“Subsequently, these Asians would go back, replicate the ideas and patented them. We don’t want that anymore. People tend to use the term ‘publish or perish’ urge on researchers. In our case, we have to ‘publish and flourish.’ That should be our focal point,” he canvassed.
In attendance at the event were Dr. John Ayorinde, NAPA national chairman; Prof. Mbang Femi-Oyewo, dean, Faculty of Pharmacy, Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU); Prof. Bolajoko Aina, dean, Faculty of Pharmacy, UNILAG; Prof. J. D. Adeyemi, dean, representative of UNILAG vice chancellor; Pharm. Gbolagade Iyiola, national secretary, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) and Prof. Olukemi Odukoya, former dean, UNILAG Faculty of Pharmacy.
Others were Dr. Arinola Joda, PSN national publicity secretary; Prof. Oluwatoyin Odeku, dean, Faculty of Ibadan, University of Ibadan (UI) and Pharm. Oluwatosin Adeyemi, academic staff, UNILAG faculty of pharmacy.
