Posted on: Fri 06-09-2024

The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) has urged the Federal Ministry of Health & Social Welfare (FMOH&SW) should collaborate with existing regulatory bodies such as Pharmacist Council of Nigeria (PCN) and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on the Federal Government reform on healthcare.

In a statement, Chairman of ACPN, Ambrose Ezeh Omokhafe Ashore who is secretary of the association said the planned health sector reform should be in alignment with the existing Act of Parliament and the 1999 Constitution.

Recall that the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Tunji Alausa had announced plans by the federal government to initiate some reforms aimed at strengthening health care facilities across Nigeria; Alausa was quoted as saying that the move came in response to growing concerns over unregulated and substandard health care services that has plagued the health sector.

Firstly, the association argued that the existing National Health Act of 2014, if fully implemented, could effectively address the problem of unregulated and substandard healthcare facilities.

“We share the enthusiasm of the Hon. Minister to deal with the menace of unregulated and substandard health facilities, but respectfully submit that this must be done in tandem with existing Acts of Parliament and logically the 1999 Constitution

Presently, there are a plethora of health statutes including the National Health Act 2014 which are not activated for the benefit of consumers of health.

The other leg of the menace of substandard health facilities has to do with the extremely wretched funding of the existing regulatory agencies in healthcare. Only recently an inexperienced and ill-tempered former DG of the Budget Office almost destabilized the health sector by removing the 15 professional regulatory councils from the Appropriation Act of the Federal Government.

It took the intervention of the Federal Ministry of Health to convince the Presidency and National Assembly of the unwholesome consequences of such moves before it was reversed.” The ACPN also criticized the government’s proposal to establish a new National Health Regulatory facility, stating that it would be wasteful and inefficient.

“The Federal Government must exercise discretion as it cannot continue to approbate and reprobate. In one swoop the Federal Government says it does not have money to cater for existing regulatory councils and in another vein it is contemplating setting up a new National Health Regulatory facility “which shall regulate across the country”.

The ACPN also emphasized the importance of respecting the constitutional framework for regulating healthcare professions in Nigeria. The association pointed out that pharmacy matters are exclusively regulated by the Federal Government, while other health professions are regulated by both the Federal Government and the state governments.

They urged the Federal Ministry of Health to focus on strengthening existing regulatory bodies, such as the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria (PCN), the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), and the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN).

SOURCE: NEW TELEGRAPH NEWSPAPER

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