Posted on: Tue 28-05-2024

Female pharmacists in the country under the aegis of the Association of Lady Pharmacists have urged the Federal Government to create an enabling and attractive environment for them to contribute to the attainment of the  Sustainable Development Goals.

The association said its members can make a significant impact on healthcare in the country in tandem with the 2030  SDGs across the various dimensions of practice, especially goal three.

SDG 3, aims to “ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all ages”, and the declaration emphasises that to attain the overall health goal, ‘we must achieve Universal Health Coverage and access to quality health care.

The pharmacists spoke at the just concluded 16th Biennial conference of the association themed: ‘Pharmacy: Making Healthcare Impacts in Tandem with the Sustainable Development Goals 2030’,  held in  Benin City, Edo State.

In a communiqué issued after the conference, the vital roles played by pharmacists in optimising medication used to improve the health of patients were highlighted.

These vital roles, the association noted, are crucial in advancing Goal 3 of the SDGs and therefore,  called on all pharmacists, especially lady pharmacists to continue to deliver exemplary patient care by ensuring access to essential medicines.

The communiqué was jointly signed by the ALP national Chairman, Scholastica  Lan, and the National Secretary, Ngozi Egboh.

The pharmacists also stressed the need to provide preventive health services, manage chronic diseases, combat infectious diseases, promote mental health, support emergency preparedness, and advocate health policy to ensure qualitative health outcomes and healthy lives for the Nigerian populace.

Giving insight into the resolutions reached at the end of the conference,  the national chairman said beyond the role of the lady pharmacists in contributing to the realization of the SDGs, the conference examined other critical areas affecting the health and well-being of Nigerians.

Lan said, “The Conference called for proactive measures by Pharmacists to ensure controlled drugs are kept out of reach of children and street corners. It maintains that ethical drug distribution of Central Nervous System stimulants and other substances of abuse will go a long way in curbing illicit access.

“It reiterated an earlier call to the government to ensure full implementation of the National Drug Distribution Guidelines to enable pharmacists to fulfil their roles in this implementation.3.

“The pharmacists agreed that traditional models of pharmacy practice are undergoing a metamorphosis and called on lady pharmacists and indeed all pharmacists to embrace technological advancements to harness new opportunities for novel practice models for improved health outcomes for the health-seeking populations.”

Lan, a fellow of the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria called on the government and all relevant stakeholders to promote specialization in pharmacy practice by putting in place the required policies and procedures to be met by those ready to pursue them.

SOURCE: PUNCH NEWSPAPER

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