The President and Chairman of the Governing Council of the Nigeria Academy of Pharmacy, Prof. Lere Baale, has challenged pharmacists to take a leading role in transforming Nigeria’s healthcare system, insisting that the country must move beyond impressive policy documents to measurable improvements in patients’ lives.
Baale said Nigeria’s persistent healthcare challenges were largely attributable to fragmented implementation, weak accountability, inadequate financing and poor coordination among institutions, rather than a complete absence of sound policies.
He made the call while delivering the first plenary address at the ongoing 99th Annual National Conference of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), tagged IJELE 2026, at the International Convention Centre, Awka, Anambra State.
Speaking on the topic, “From Policy Promises to Patient Outcomes: Transforming Nigeria’s Healthcare System through Leadership, Accountability, Innovation and Collaboration,” the academy president said the gap between government policy intentions and the actual experiences of citizens remained one of the greatest obstacles to sustainable healthcare delivery.
He identified five major gaps in the country’s healthcare policy implementation framework, including policy design, implementation, coordination, financing and accountability.
According to him, policies are sometimes formulated without sufficient understanding of the realities confronting frontline healthcare providers and patients, while institutions responsible for implementation often lack the resources, authority and capacity required to deliver expected outcomes.
He also noted that federal, state and local institutions, regulators, professional bodies and private-sector organisations frequently pursue similar healthcare objectives without adequate coordination.
He said accountability must also be redefined to focus on whether patients receive better healthcare services, have access to affordable medicines and experience improved health outcomes, rather than merely measuring budgets, meetings and administrative activities.
The professor particularly urged pharmacists to strengthen their professional relevance by taking responsibility for identifying, documenting and reporting medication errors in hospitals and community pharmacies.
He said hospital pharmacists should systematically audit doctors’ prescriptions and document medication errors, with findings presented periodically to medical teams to improve patient safety.
“If we really want to show bigger accountability as pharmacists, we must start not today. We must start yesterday”, he said.
He argued that pharmacists must demonstrate their expertise in medicines through evidence-based interventions that reduce medication-related harm, rather than allowing professional disagreements or commercial interests to undermine their contribution to healthcare delivery.
Baale also called for the integration of community pharmacies into primary healthcare services, proposing a stronger partnership between community pharmacies and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency.
He said Nigeria had approximately 6,000 community pharmacies, which could complement existing primary healthcare facilities and significantly expand access to essential services.
According to him, bringing the two structures together would increase the country’s capacity to provide primary healthcare, particularly preventive services and vaccination, if community pharmacies were appropriately integrated into government programmes.
He said the collaboration would demonstrate the value of public-private partnerships in addressing healthcare delivery gaps.
The academy president further called for a transition from healthcare expenditure to sustainable financing through pooled financing arrangements, broader insurance protection, strategic purchasing and equitable access to essential services.
He warned against poor procurement decisions in hospitals, stressing that pharmacists must be involved in determining the medicines and quantities required to avoid unnecessary expenditure and wastage.
On healthcare delivery, he called for stronger integration of primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare institutions to ensure that patients receive treatment at the appropriate levels.
He observed that minor conditions that could be managed at primary healthcare centres often ended up in teaching hospitals, thereby placing unnecessary pressure on specialist facilities.
He also urged the government and relevant stakeholders to strengthen digital health systems and information sharing to improve referrals, continuity of care and healthcare efficiency.
Baale identified leadership as the missing link between healthcare policy ambitions and actual achievements, insisting that institutions would not transform themselves without responsible leadership and collective commitment.
“The major missing link between ambition and achievement is leadership,” he said.
He described pharmacists as professionals with the training and capacity to contribute beyond medicine dispensing, urging them to become more involved in health economics, policy advocacy, digital health, management, negotiation and strategic decision-making.
He challenged the PSN to prioritise policy execution, sustainable health financing, medicine security, primary healthcare integration, digital transformation, workforce development and accountability as it prepares to mark its centenary in 2027.
Baale said the success of Nigeria’s healthcare system should ultimately be measured by its ability to preserve health, prevent suffering, restore dignity and save lives. “Let the patient become the measure of our success”, he said.
