As more reactions greet the return of President
Muhammadu Buhari on Friday after a medical vacation, pharmacists under the
aegis of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) have joined Nigerians to
welcome him, saying they were particularly delighted that the President looked
hale and hearty.
It would be recalled that President Buhari
returned from his medical vacation in London on Saturday, August 19, after
being away from office and the country for a period of 103 days.
In a release by Pharm. Ahmed I. Yakasai and Pharm.
Gbologade Iyiola, President and National Secretary, respectively, the
pharmacists said that President Buhari’s return was an eloquent testimony to
his fitness, good care and of course a self-imposed determination to shake-off
all vagaries of ill-health by a passionate President.
“It is therefore most apropos to return all glory
and honour to the creator for divine intervention in arresting the hitherto
sliding health of Mr. President while also wishing His Excellency a full
complement of robust health grounded in wellness and vitality,” they said.
The pharmacists, however, said that the recent
development about the need for health interventions outside the country compels
a need to continue to appraise the totality of the health system.
They said there were challenges with the funding
and structure of health inclined endeavours, which compelled defective
outcomes. They added that in terms of evaluation of structures in the health
system, a vital component remained appointments in some of the regulatory
agencies and other strategic organs in the health sector.
“The Pharmaceutical Sector is particularly hard
hit without an array of salient appointments at National Agency of Food and
Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN),
National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD).
“The major condition precedent in the build-up to
the appointment of the DG of NAFDAC remains the proviso in Section 9 (1) of the
enabling act which states inter-alia: “There shall be appointed for the agency
by the President, Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces on the recommendation
of the Minister, a Director General who shall be a person with good knowledge of
pharmacy, food and drugs.”
“This position of the enabling Act was subjected
to appraisals by the Federal Ministry of Justice in the year 2001 prior to the
appointment of late Prof. Dora Akunyili, the second DG of NAFDAC and a
frontline pharmacist who once worked with President Buhari in his capacity as
Chairman of the defunct Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) when Prof. Akunyili was a
pharmaceutical consultant.
“It is imperative to also put on record that the
pioneer Director General of NAFDAC – Prof. Gabriel Osuide, was a globally
acclaimed pharmacist and researcher in the sciences,” they stated.
The pharmacists added that expertise in drug and
food matters is also exclusive to a registered pharmacist by virtue of his
training and that was why pharmacists in tandem with global best practice are
described as experts in drugs.
They contended that in terms of the regulatory
processes in a core regulatory agency like NAFDAC, only a pharmacist has a
jurisdiction as a regulatory officer in all the core mandate areas of pharmacy,
food and drugs.
“By virtue of Section 5 and 6 of PPA Cap 535 LFN
1990, only a pharmacist can be appointed a pharmaceutical inspector to regulate
pharmacy practice, while by virtue of the Food and Drugs Act cap 150 LFN 1990
(as amended) pharmacists can be appointed as Food and Drug Inspectors to
fulfill the totality of the NAFDAC mandate.
“These issues were canvassed when a delegation of
the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria led by its President visited Mr.
President on April 7, 2016.
“In similar spirit, we find it necessary to
request for constitution of the governing council of the Pharmacists Council of
Nigeria, National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development and the
Boards of Federal Health Institutions to boost efficiency and entrench
competency in the health sector,” they said.
They insisted that the health system must be
revitalised in line with the progressive strides being recorded in the
development of infrastructure in road and rail construction among others in our
country.
They wished President Buhari a fruitful and
productive tenure in the next 21 months, praying that the days ahead would
usher hope, prosperity, good health and unprecedented progress to Nigerians.
“The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria remains an
undisputable ally of the Federal Government in meeting its goals and objectives
of good health to the citizenry. We believe albeit strongly that these goals
and objectives must be hinged on lawful appointments in all ministries,
departments and agencies (MDAs) to facilitate positive outcomes for consumers
of health in our nation.
“We therefore assure government of our support at
all times even as we convey our courtesies to President Buhari,” the
pharmacists said.
President Buhari resumed official duties on
Monday, but Presidency sources said he would be working from home. He also
addressed Nigerians in a nationwide broadcast.
