The Minister of State for Health, Dr Adeleke Mamora, on Tuesday, pledged more support to the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) to improve on the productivity of its members.
Mamora made the pledge at the 92nd Annual National Conference in Kaduna with the theme “Navigating the Winds of Change in Professional Practice in a Volatile Economy.“
Mamora said that adequate funding to the pharmaceutical sector would ensure quality healthcare service delivery in Nigeria, thereby increasing the number of healthy citizens for increased economic development.
He also said that the sector was key in the healthcare value chain, adding that investing in it would ensure local manufacturing of drugs and optimal service delivery to the average Nigerian.
Mamora further said that the ministry would make accessibility of funds easy to various branches and sectors of medicine in Nigeria.
This he said was necessary to enable the community pharmaceutical companies to have good technological innovations and best practices to enable them to render good and quality services and penetrate the global market.
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He said that the Federal Ministry of Health, through its agencies, would continue to create enabling environment for pharmaceutical companies in Nigeria to boost their productivity.
The minister of state called on PSN to do more and improve on biotechnology and development of new phytomedicines, using local materials through research.
The President of NPS, Sam Ohuabunwa, said that the pharmaceutical sector had been overlooked, especially the community pharmacists who were closest to the people.
“We always talk about health insurance and people being able to afford access to quality healthcare, but most often time we leave the pharmacists out of it.
“Pharmacists are the ones that ensure that the quality of drugs administered to patients, that require them to get well, is available
“I think it is time we recognise their role and make their profession add to the positive development in Nigeria,“ he said.
Ohuabunwa, however, expressed the concern of PSN to lack of funding which he said made way for the production of cheap and fake drugs.
“Adequate funding would help catalyse the health market, guarantee a genuine source of drugs and aid local manufacturing to ensure average Nigerian at the grassroots gets quality drugs at affordable prices,” he said.
(NAN)
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