The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) has called on the federal government to stop implementing policies and programmes that would lead to closure of more pharmaceutical plants across the country.
The society stated that the implementation of several inimical policies by the government has led to the poor performance of several pharmaceutical plants or outright closure over the years.
President of PSN, Alhaji Ahmed Yakasai, stated this when he led a delegation of th society’s members on a courtesy visit to the Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Folorunso Adewole in Abuja.
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Yakassai, who was a former member of the Kano State executive council argued that there was need for the federal government to consult widely with stakeholders to ensure that it initiate measures that would enhance the good health of the citizenry. While hailing the implementation of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Common External Tariff (CET) which allows finished pharmaceutical products to be imported at zero percentage duty into the country, the PSN president argued that such a good gesture should be extended to raw and packaging materials which now attract a duty percentage ranging from 5 percent to 20 percent.
His words: “This simply means that locally manufactured pharmaceutical products have become uncompetitive. The fall out is an eminent closure of all Nigerian pharmaceutical plants. Again many pharmaceutical manufacturers are running out of raw materials due to lack of response from banks on the letter of credit requests and is likely that many will close shop in the next two months. We urge you to intervene on this critical issue”.
On policy implementation, Yakasai said Nigeria drug policy provides that 70 percent of government purchase should be sourced from local manufacturers.
“I think the time has come for this policy to be implemented at all levels of government. It will boost internal capacity utilization and make local manufacturing more attractive. With the new opportunity for new government and new way of doing things and from your character and characteristics, I have no doubt in my mind that you will provide a strategic direction, develop and implement policies that will see the pharmaceutical sector become globally attractive and competitive,” he said.
He called for the welfare of health workers in the country, even as he expressed dismay that valid court judgments, collectively bargained agreements, memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and even circulars signed with government which have remained implemented on a haphazard or discretionary basis by Federal health institutions.
According to him, these include the implementation of the spirit of the existing circular on promotion of our members from CONHESS 14 to 15 as directors which places premium on the need to sanction defaulting hospital managements. Payment of arrears of specialist allowances to qualified hospital based health professionals with effect from January 1, 2010, should be ensured; full payment of arrears of the skipping of CONHESS 10 which remains outstanding since the year 2010; and the release of the circular on adjustment of salary since January 2014 and immediate payment of at least two months arrears.
By: John Iwori
This Day News
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