Pharmacists necessary for building healthy nation

Managing Director, Tiptop Nigeria Limited, Mr Gbenga Falabi have described pharmacists as the panacea for building a healthy nation and ensuring Nigeria’s poor health index is reversed.

Mr Falabi, the keynote speaker at the oath-taking and induction ceremony of 75 new pharmacists at the University of Ibadan, and given  Nigeria’s health personnel density, community pharmacists key to decreasing health care cost, morbidity and mortality as well as improving the quality of life.

Falabi, a past national chairman, Association of Industrial Pharmacists of Nigeria (NAIP), said community pharmacists are health consultants and are usually the first point of call and most accessible health practitioners with no access fee.

He said evidence from many developed countries show that pharmacists have a role in global health policy to lower medication misuse, drug abuse and lower financial burden.

According to him, local culture relates health with medicine and therefore as medicine custodians, pharmacists, are most relevant.

Falabi declared that expanded role of pharmacists in developed countries now include immunisation coverage.

Vice chancellor, University of Ibadan, Professor Idowu Olayinka said the faculty has continued to produce pharmacists that remain among the most widely employed in Nigeria.

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He admonished them to make a positive impact by contributing to the healthcare delivery system and to the distribution of quality medicines in Nigeria.

The faculty, he said, had produced nearly 800 pharmacists that are contributing immensely to Nigeria and other nations of the world.

Registrar, Pharmacists Council of Nigeria, Mr Elijah Mohammed, said soon having a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) would be the minimum requirement for pharmacists to register in Nigeria, and called for the university’s support for the programme’s early commencement.

Mohammed, speaking through Chika Amaka-Okafor,  stated that PCN’s introduction of pre-examination for pharmacists (PEP) was a quality assurance tool to strengthen the pharmacy standards in line with global best practices.

He urged inductee pharmacists to get acquainted with the code of pharmacy’s professional ethics as the council will frown at any misconduct in its entirety.

Dean, Faculty of Pharmacy, U.I, Professor Oluwatoyin Odeku, urged the inductees to contribute their quota to national and global healthcare development.

“Sparkle to brighten the profession of pharmacy,” she said.

Chairman, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Oyo State branch, Mr Abiodun Ajibade urged them to set new order for improvement in any aspect of pharmacy practice they find themselves.

“Anyone who wants to maintain his/her relevance must be upwardly mobile, fit into the emerging opportunities and be  their best on every given task,” he said.

At the occasion, the faculty recognised five of its alumni that had supported the faculty over the years. This are Wale Adedeji; Bioku Rahmon, Gbenga Olayeye, Kunle Akinbobobola, Bukola Abiola and Taofiq Odukoya.