Ahmed Yakasai, President of the Pharmaceutical Society of
Nigeria (PSN), is a veteran practitioner of almost 35 years’ experience and a
two-time past Commissioner in Kano State for eight years. Yakasai , former PSN
Chairman, Kano State Branch as well as one-time First Deputy President at
national level, in this interview, shares his perspectives in pharmacy and health
management with CHIOMA UMEHA. Excerpts:
The scarcity of foreign exchange (forex) must be affecting
the pharmaceutical sector like other sectors of the Nigerian economy. How is
the PSN managing this situation in conjunction with the Federal Government?
After a careful evaluation of the impact of the current
paucity of forex in the country which is gradually grinding operations in drug
manufacturing and importation outlets to a halt in the days ahead, I appeal to
President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently intervene to prevent an impending
national calamity which will lead to morbidity and outright mortality of
consumers of health in Nigeria.
We reason that empty warehouses of a plethora of the
pharmaceutical companies due to inaccessibility to forex to directly source
finished products, active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and others
percipients would naturally breed out of stock syndrome in the inventory of
life saving drugs. This has obvious consequences in the days and weeks ahead,
as most companies will exhaust the leftover stocks from last year.
Also, it is impossible to transact pharmaceutical inclined
business at the rate of $1 to N400 as the drug products from such transactions
will be completely unaffordable. Consequently, this will defeat the goal of the
National Drug Policy that advocates the availability of safe, efficacious and
affordable drugs in the health system at all times. We therefore call on the
federal government to facilitate better access to forex to pharmaceutical
companies as a matter of priority in view of the security dimensions of the out
of stock syndrome. The current situation can boost the fake drug syndrome as
charlatans will certainly exploit the vacuum created by a lack of basic drugs.
What are you doing to stem the tide of the renewed influx of
fake drugs in Nigeria?
The sale of drugs in open markets is a despicable act, which
the law forbids. Unfortunately, we did not manage a few things well in the
past. In the immediate past dispensation, Pharmaceutical Stakeholders, including
operators in open markets resolved to restructure the entire drug distribution
chain to provide for Mega Drug Distribution Centres (MDDCs), State Drug
Distribution Centres (SDDCs), regular wholesalers and coordinated wholesale
centres (CWC). This will be a metamorphosis and complete transformation of
market structures to neat enclaves which PCN and NAFDAC can regulate.
We are working on this and the major players in markets are
making progress to meet the August 2017 deadline set by Government. In a nutshell
open markets will be closed after this deadline and drug distribution
endeavours will be professionalized in this clime.
Do you believe that Government will abide by July 2017
commencement date of the implementation of the amended National Drug Distribution
Guideline (NDDG).
In this regard we are on course absolutely. The Pharmacists
Council of Nigeria (PCN), National Agency for Food Drug Administration and
Control (NAFDAC), Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) is collaborating with
pharma stakeholders to achieve this.
The pharma stakeholders include, Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of
Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (PMG-MAN), Association of Nigerian
Representatives of Overseas Pharmaceutical Manufacturers (NIROPHARM) and
Association of Pharmaceutical Importers of Nigeria (APIN). Others are,
Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) and representatives of
non-pharmacist wholesalers who are expected to move to the proposed Coordinated
Wholesale Centres (CWCs). We are in one accord to change the unhealthy status
quo we have allowed in the country.
The Coordinated Wholesale Centres are already being
constructed in some parts of the country. You will agree with me that this is
very strategic to our overall success. It is my belief that when PCN and NAFDAC
structure are fully established, we shall mobilize to consolidate our present
level of commitment and gains. The PSN remains committed to decorous drug
distribution channels and I assure the consuming public we shall not fail in
this regards.
We have had appointments in most parastatals, including some
in the health sector, what do you expect with notable appointments in the
pharmaceutical sector?
You must continue to reckon and remember that it is the
prerogative of the federal government to carry out these appointments whether
at Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN), NAFDAC or National Institute for
Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), which I believe you are
referring to. I, however, presume that your question is based in public
interest especially, the value of such appointments proper healthcare delivery.
Our first priority is to ensure lawful appointments on all
pharmaceutical platforms, because we certainly do not pray for the type of
disruption in equilibrium we experienced at Pharmacists Council of Nigeria
(PCN) when representatives of PSN were compromised due to a distasteful
manipulation by an interested party.
We had similar scenario at National Agency for Food, Drugs
and Administration and Control (NAFDAC), which degenerated to a court action in
another dispensation.
We shall continue to believe that an administration that
abhors corruption like the incumbent government has practically demonstrated
will be seriously mindful of appointing elements who have antecedents that are
tainted with corruption or other negative vices in previous positions they held
in public or private sector. It is instructive to put on record too that to
appoint regulators especially in our sector, such must be premised or built
around persons who are conversant with the terrain to be regulated. I therefore
appeal to the federal government to give us lawful and befitting appointments
in the pharmaceutical sector in the days and months ahead.
The 89th annual national conference of PSN holds in Minna
from November 7 to 12, 2016. What do we expect?
This conference has as its theme “Pharmaceutical Industry
Contributions to National Development.” The Vice President, Prof. Yemi
Osinbajo, is expected to declare it open as a special guest of honour, while
the Governor of Niger State is chief host and the Minister for Health will be
the guest of honour. Our nation needs to develop an efficient manpower base in
the quest for self-sufficiency and economic growth. This unique conference will
therefore exploit avenues for this much sought after maxims as it concerns the
pharmaceutical sector of the economy.
It is a peculiar gathering of pharmacists and other
scientists nationwide as well as the diaspora, so you can only expect a new
positive force to emerge pharmaceutically speaking after November 12, 2016.
Do you have any update in the quest to improve welfare of
health workers in Nigeria?
We wish to appeal to the President Muhammadu Buhari led
federal government to give immediate attention to the clamours of health
workers including pharmacists to redress some pressing welfare demands.
