By Independent
To support research, development and tackle
growing challenges in the country’s healthcare delivery system the
Pharmaceutical Association of Nigeria (PSN) recently launched the PSN
Foundation and inaugurated its Board of Trustees in Abuja.
Speaking at the inauguration, Prof. Isaac Adewole,
Minister of Health, said that such new partnership like PSN Foundation will
help in achieving optimum health, especially for the vulnerable ones within the
society.
Adewole,who bemoaned the disease burden in the
country, identified maternal and infant mortality, low uptake of contraceptive,
Tuberculosis diagnosis, immunisation as some of the challenges in the health
sector.
The Minister explained that without collaboration
with non-governmental organisation (NGOs) among other stakeholders, no
government can solely address all existing disease burden.
“One of the purposes of setting up this foundation
that strike me most is to support and collaborate with other organisations in
the field of human health development.
“Nothing has dramatically changed in the past five
years but to provide the needed change and create changes we need new
partnership, we need to do things differently and diverse ways which is one of
the surest ways.
“To drastically reduce maternal mortality in
Nigeria we need new partnership, we must do things differently.
“To really increase our ability to diagnose TB
where we can really diagnose one in every six cases we need partnership, to
increase contraceptive uptake we need partnership.
“We need partnership to prevent our young ones
from dying,” the minister said.
Adewole, who described the PSN Foundation as first
of its kind, commended Pharm. Ahmed Yakasai, its President, for the laudable
initiative.
On his part, Ahmed Yakasai, President PSN, at the
event said the PSN Foundation will promote research and development, promote
education in the expansive field of pharmacy practice in Nigeria, it will also
carter for the welfare of pharmacists and Nigerians at large and provide
scholarships to deserving pharmacists and their children, and promote national
development.
Yakasai said the PSN Foundation will have the
mandate to impact on the welfare and well-being of all Nigerians. He said the
impact on the general public shall be delivered through well articulated public
health campaigns and programmes, fight against fake, substandard and falsified
drugs, drug abuse, emergency response (humanitarian assistance), advocacy for
childhood and family health diseases, like nutrition, pneumonia and diarrhoea,
routine immunisation, Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune
Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), malaria prevention and treatment, non communicable
diseases and maternal and child health.
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Yakasai said the Board of Trustees shall be
chaired by the former President of PSN, Mohammed Yaro Budah; while Lere Baale
(Vice Chairman), Remi Adeseun (Secretary), Ike John Igwu (Treasurer) and
Margaret Ebigwelu-Ibru (Public Relations Officer). Other members of the Board
of Trustees include Ibrahim Umar Babangida, Clare Omatseye, Joke Bakare, as
well as the National Treasurer of PSN and the President of PSN.
Also, Yakasai, at a press conference ahead of the
Society’s 90th Annual National Conference schedule to hold Umuahia, Abia State,
from November 6 to 11, 2017, said the event is an opportunity to showcase the
organisational capacity of the PSN widely perceived as one of the oldest and
best organised professional bodies in Nigeria.
The theme of the conference is “Medicines
Availability and National Security.”
The PSN President said to enrich the plenary
session, Prof. Isa Hussain Marte, of University of Maiduguri and Professor of
Cancer Pharmacology will talk on “Nigerian Medicinal Plants: Sources of
Anticancer Agents.”
Yakasai said the PSN shall also continue to
promote its relationship with the distinguished Fourt Estate of the realm
through the Ben Ukwuoma Memorial Award instituted two years ago.
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