The governorship candidate of Lagos State chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has assured members of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) that he will ensure that Lagos State University (LASU) gets Faculty of Pharmacy if elected as the governor, come 2019.
Sanwo-Olu made the promise on Thursday during his interactive session with the Lagos State chapter of PSN, saying he would do this to strengthen capacity in the pharmaceutical profession in Lagos State.
He said the State University after more than three decades of existence should be a centre of academic excellence for the production of manpower in the field of pharmacy.
“To strengthen the profession and boost manpower in the field of pharmacy, I am convinced that our state university should have a Faculty of Pharmacy.
“If elected, we will make sure LASU within our 4 years has Faculty of Pharmacy. It is not just right that we have Medical College without Faculty of Pharmacy. I am promising you that our government will ensure that everything is done to make Faculty of Pharmacy a reality for the state-owned University.
“As a professional body of pharmacists, I will implore you to give us a position paper on what we need to do that will enable us to achieve our objective and I can assure that as government, we will do all within our powers to make it a reality,” the APC candidate said.
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Sanwo-Olu told the pharmacists the importance he attached to their profession and the entire health sector in general, describing the profession as one of the most important fields for human existence that no one could joke with.
“Your profession is one of the most important fields for human existence. No one can joke with the health sector. So when I received your invitation, I pledged to attend this event regardless of my schedule because it is about health and we must listen to you,” he said.
The Chairman of Lagos State chapter of the PSN, Mrs BTO Adeniran, urged Sanwo-Olu to help pharmacists practising in the state when he gets to government.
She described the issue of turnaround time in getting drugs at government hospitals across the state as very cumbersome, just as she charged the state government to look into the welfare and working condition of pharmacists in the state with a view to increasing their salary and allowances.
“We need the government to look into the welfare and working condition of a pharmacist working in Lagos State. We want an upward review of salary and allowances. On capacity development, we need more training for our members so we can serve the state and the public better as an integral part of the health system,” the PSN chairman said.
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