Akwa Ibom: Community pharmacists seek government intervention to ensure medicine security

Community pharmacists in Akwa Ibom State have raised the alarm over the spike in the cost of medications in Nigeria occasioned by what they described as a “depressed economy” and the rising cost of energy.

The association also condemned the heavy reliance on imports of medications and active pharmaceutical ingredients from China and India, despite the nation’s local capacity to produce.

This was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the 3rd Annual Scientific Conference of the association, themed, “Medicine Security in an Unstable Economy: The Role of Community Pharmacists,” held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital.

The association noted that the rising cost of energy and the volatile economy of Nigeria had led to the withdrawal of some multinational pharmaceutical companies from Nigeria, such as GlaxoSmithKline, and the collapse of local manufacturers, such as Jubilee Syringe Manufacturing Company in Onna, Akwa Ibom, saying that these were threats to the sustainability of community pharmacies.

The communiqué noted that this gap represents a low-hanging fruit and urged the Akwa Ibom State government to adopt a sustainable model for local pharmaceutical manufacturing by expanding the ongoing Ibom-LED Entrepreneurship Accelerator Programme to support community pharmacies willing to venture into the production of pharmaceuticals and healthcare consumables.

The pharmacists observed that “at a misery index of 85%, the Nigerian economy is depressed and may lead to an increase in drug smuggling and counterfeiting.”

They, therefore, sued for authentication of medicines, traceability, tamper-proof packaging, quality control, secure transportation, storage and monitoring, to ensure medicine security.

They also urged Governor Umo Eno to consider the re-activation and funding of the Akwa Ibom State Counterfeit and Fake Drug Monitoring Committee as a public health emergency.

While commending the governor for financing healthcare for the poor, the association called for the strengthening of the Akwa Ibom State Health Insurance Agency.

“There is a need for the inclusion of a pharmacist in the Akwa Ibom State Health Insurance Agency Board in view of the pivotal role of pharmaceutical services in healthcare, the proven expertise of pharmacists in health economics and pharmacoeconomics and a groundswell of research that identifies the cost of medications as a significant component of catastrophic health expenditure,” the association noted.

The pharmacists also called on the Akwa Ibom State government, in line with her ARISE AGENDA, to support the ongoing public health awareness campaign of the association, aimed at raising the health consciousness of Akwa Ibom residents by discussing vital health topics weekly across various electronic media.