Chioma Umeha
In view of the key role of the healthcare and
manufacturing sectors to Nigeria’s development, the Institute of Public Analyst
of Nigeria (IPAN) has urged the Federal Government to create policies and
regulations that can promote public analysis to advance the industry.
The organisation made the call during the 25th
anniversary/ award night and induction of new members noting that enhancing the
profession of analysis is critical to the survival of mankind.
Commenting during the occasion, Dr Dahiru Adamu,
President, IPAN stressed on the need to involve the professional body in public
analysis because the government agencies do not have the capacity to carry out
100 per cent coverage in policing and regular testing.
IPAN is a parastatal under the Federal Ministry of
Health, established by Decree No 100 of 1992 now IPAN Act Cap 1 16 LFN 2004.
The professional body which is charged with the
power to train, examine, register Public Analysts and regulate their practice
in the country is as important as the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON)
and National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC),
Adamu noted.
The IPAN President said; “It is time to empower
the public analyst so that he can regularly test products of producers at their
own cost. If you see building collapsing, people bringing petroleum that is
adulterated, you have dirty environment that causes infections.
“We have
solid minerals that we cannot determine their quality and the value in the
market. All this is because there is no analysis. If you are building they must
test the strength of your rod, quality of your cement even the quality of water
to be mixed has to be tested all these things brings about quality structures
that will last for a long time and serve the purpose of what they are
intended,” Adamu said.
According to him, the government is trying, though
there are still room for improvement.
“They are always scared of everything, they always think of money. Everything is not money, there are policies,
legislations and advocacies, there is need for mobilisation of all these to
empower people,” the IPAN boss added.
Hon Chike Okafor, Chairman, House Committee on
Health Services, said the National Assembly are not very involved in
implementation of programs and policies.
“There is no direct intervention we can make. Our
job is legislation. For instance the law
says what you have power to appropriate money for; you also have power to
oversight. Our job stops at the point of
making laws and also following up oversight. I raised a motion in the house
which made funds available for revitalisation of Primary Healthcare Systems
across the country,” he said.
Okafor
said that there has been significant budgetary increased in health, and also
assured that the government is relentless in making healthcare accessible and
affordable.
Also, Prof
Sunday Ajayi said no industry from any economy can move without the analyst as
they are in charge of quality control in laboratories and compliant to
standards.
He
explained: “Public analysts are very valuable to the National Agency for Food
and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and Standard Organisation of
Nigeria (SON). Without them, these two government agencies cannot work
successfully. The volume of work they have to do is enormous and they need the
public analyst to support them in getting fruitful result.”
Ajayi
added: “Everything coming to the country from wherever must be subjected to
test and there is no way NAFDAC or SON can cope with that level of work if you
don’t have public analysts to support them.”
“And I’ll tell you frankly that if NAFDAC, if SON
and the likes have as much improved capital provision in the budget I think
that IPAN should have much more,” he added.
The occasion also witnessed the induction of 35
new members in the IPAN fold, Fellowship Award to 41 practitioners, Honourary
Fellowship award to Mrs Kehinde Ajoni and Posthumous Honorary Fellowship award
to Late Tunji Braithwaite.
