Attaining Medicine Security In Nigeria


Chioma Umeha

L-R: former Chairman PSN, Lagos Branch. Pharm. Gbenga Olubowale, immediate past President of PSN, Ahmed Yakasai, CEO of Lefas Pharmaceuticals Pharm Lekan Asuni.

The concept of drug safety has become a major attention since the past decade because of the important roles it play in patients’ health.
In view of this, there is growing concern among experts on how to achieve drug safety in daily medical practice, particularly with regard to approving new medication or questioning the possibility of withdrawing a drug from the market.
This is particularly so in Nigeria and a major reason Pharm. Ahmed Yakasai, the immediate past President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) gave for unveiling safe medicine foundation (SFM), weekend.
He stressed that his aim is to sustain the fight against fake and falsified drugs in the country.
Elaborating on this at an occasion which was a sendforth dinner organised for him by friends and associates in Lagos, Yakasai said, “It really hurts to see fake or substandard and falsified products circulating in our country maiming innocent citizens.”
The august ceremony also featured the launch of Yakasai’s book, “The Power of Advocacy” which chronicled his achievements in office as PSN President from 2015 to 2018.
DAILY INDEPENDENT investigations show that as the President of the professional body, he undertook various initiatives aimed at creating awareness about the prevalence of drug abuse especially among youths.
The former PSN boss therefore set up the foundation alongside Dr. (Pharm) Ifeanyi Okechukwu and Dr. Chimezie Anyakora as a “go-to resource that can help consumers, healthcare professionals, law enforcement agencies, policy makers and the government navigate the increasing complex and dangerous world of substandard and falsified medicines.”
Yakasai explained that the foundation would, among others raise public awareness of the harms to consumer safety caused by substandard and falsified fake medicines and advocate for policies and programmes that will improve patient safety.
Yakasai said, “So together, let’s make a positive impact and rescue our people and it can be you or me as a victim. Improving safe access to essential medicines is crucial in tackling ill-health and reducing infant and maternal mortality rate, which, sadly is very high in our country.
“As we all know, essential medicines save lives and improve health when they are available, affordable, of assured quality and properly used. Hence, our citizens around the nooks and crannies of Nigeria deserve access to safe, standard, efficacious and cost-effective medicines.”
“You can hear all that they are saying that I have done a lot in health care sector, I really didn’t know, though, I used the healthcare platform to unveil the Safe Medicine Foundation. It is a foundation that I just founded to continue fighting fake drugs and drug abuse in our country because it is threatening in our country, society and even our individual health.”
Meanwhile, friends and associates of Yakasai  seized the opportunity to celebrate his positive impact and contribution to the growth of the society.
The occasion with theme, ‘Celebration of Excellence,’ attracted the presence of major stakeholders in the health and pharmaceutical sector.
It also provided opportunity for discussing on how to achieve medicine security in Nigeria and win the war against counterfeit medicines.
Dr. Fidelis Ayebae, Chairman of the event and Managing Director/CEO of Fidson Healthcare PLC, hailed the initiative which he said would be supported by all pharmaceutical stakeholders.
Contributing, Pharmacist Olumide Akintayo, former PSN President, warned against self-medication especially in Nigeria where people have unlimited access to medicines.
“This is a country where we have well over two, three million premises where people sell medicines and probably less than 30,000 out-patient medicine stores,” he said.
“Ahmed certainly has made foot print in the sand of time, he will certainly be numbered as one of the legends in the leadership bracket of the society and it very significant that some of his friends and associate have put this together,” Akintayo added.
Commenting, Olumuyiwa Odusote, a former Nigeria Medical Association, Lagos Chapter, said, “Ibrahim has established a good working relationship and we looking towards ensuring that we have lasting peace in the health sector.
“We are also committed to ensuring that we return to the good old days in the health sector where everybody is a brother and sister to one another.”
Similarly, Remi Adeseun, said,  “The first thing you will notice is that Yakasai puts the profession ahead of himself and he ensures that all he did is on the singular focus of lifting the profession and boosting the status of the pharmaceutical industry.”
With various degree in pharmacy, research and social media marketing from the Ahmadu Bello University, University of Southford, Manchester, UK, Yakasai is an accomplished pharmacist and the immediate past president of PSN from 2015 to 2018  and has served the country in various capacity.
He is also an honorary Consul General of Pakistan in Nigeria and now a ‘General’ of the Safe Medicine Foundation.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Insurgency: Nigerian Army Clears 25 More Children Of Links With Armed Groups, Says UNICEF

Image
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has said Thursday that 25 more children had been freed from Nigerian Army administrative custody having been cleared of suspected links with armed groups. With this number, a total of 44 children had been released this year, bringing the number to 1,627 children since 2016, that is four years now, the UN agency for children has said. UNICEF which announced this in a press statement signed by its Communication Specialist, Dr. Geoffrey Njoku, specifically said, “Twenty-three boys and two girls were released today from Nigerian Army administrative custody after being cleared of suspected ties with armed groups. This brings the number of children released this year to 44,” it added. It bemoaned the discrimination, deprivation and cruelty which the children have suffered. “These are children taken away from their families and communities, deprived of their childhood, education, health-care, and of the chance to grow up in a safe and enabling envir
Read more

Limited Information Frustrates Young Women From Using Family Planning

Image
BY CHIOMA UMEHA, Awareness and proper understanding of family planning has been recognised to reduce maternal death among young women of reproductive age between 15 and 49. Data on Sexual Reproductive Health outcomes in Nigeria stresses the importance of focusing on adolescents. At 576 maternal death per 1,000 live births, Nigeria accounts for 14 percent of the global burden of maternal mortality (NDHS 2013/WHO 2014). Global evidence shows that young girls bear a higher burden of maternal mortality and morbidity. Data shows that the average age at sexual debut is roughly 15 years of age among adolescent mothers in Nigeria. (NDHS 2003, 2008, 2013). The National adolescent fertility rate in Nigeria is 122 births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 19 years. In the North Western States, it is as high as 171 births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 19 years. To stem this, the government of Lagos State with support from partners and other donor agencies has put in place youth-friendly he
Read more

PSN President Commissions ACPN National Secretariat

Image
Chioma Umeha History was made among the community pharmacists recently, as the national body of the Association of Community Pharmacists (ACPN) inaugurated its National Secretariat at Ikeja, Lagos State. The event was graced by many notable personalities in the pharmaceutical sector including, Pharm. Ahmed Yakasai, the president of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) who commissioned the befitting edifice. Other notable guests at the event were – Dr. UNO Uwaga, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for ACPN; Pharm. Bukky George, the Managing Director of Healthplus, among many former presidents of different pharmaceutical bodies. Pharm. Yakasai stated that it was a thing of joy for him to see this development come to light. He said that he is ‘a proud father’ as the inauguration of the building was a “testimony of when you have a proud son who can carry out directives.” He described the secretariat as “A home for all pharmacists across board.”
Read more