By Sola Ogundipe

The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, PSN, has reaffirmed its call to the   Federal Ministry of Health to halt the commercialisation of pharmacy facilities in Federal Health Institutions once and for all in the interest of national health.

*Drug store

Making the call, in a petition to the Minister of Health, Dr. Khaliru Alhassan, the PSN President, Pharm. Olumide Akintayo, said rather than abate, the tendencies and flair for vindictive actions targeted against pharmacists and the profession of pharmacy has continued unchecked at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin and Federal Medical Centre, Owerri.

Akintayo, in the petition entitled “A Plea For Intervention to Stop Commercialisation of Pharmacy Facilities in Federal Health Institutions, FHIs, urged the Health Minister to direct management of the FHIs to adopt the guidelines the Federal Ministry of Health, FMOH issued in the past on procurement of medicines.

Private profiteers

“I find it necessary to put the FMOH on notice with regards to recent attempts by some FHIs to commercialise pharmacy facilities in their domain through sourcing of drugs by engaging private profiteers.”

Akintayo said a semblance of this is, currently being contemplated by the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri as reported by Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Imo State branch.

“In some other instances some of the hospital managements are attempting to exploit loopholes in the procurement act by mandating procurement officers to source drugs for use in the hospital system. The Nigeria Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists (NAHAP) Edo State branch puts on record the effrontery of the C-MAC, UBTH in entrenching this model at UBTH, Benin.

Our investigation reveals that these acts are vengeful and discriminatory to punish pharmacists for participating in the last JOHESU strike.

Akintayo urged the Minister to recall the many promises of the government to avoid discriminatory or punitive measure against persons, associations and professions that participated in the aforementioned strike.

“This is the pact with organized labour as symbolized by JOHESU that the management of these FHIs seek to violate in contemporary times.

It is pertinent to draw the attention of FMOH to its letter of 2/7/2010 to all FHIs on condition precedent to procurement of drugs (copy attached). The Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) which regulates & controls pharmacy practice in Nigeria has also come up with specific guidelines on lawful models of PPP in pharmacy practice in Nigeria.

“Our appraisal of the legal imperatives in procurement of medicines suggests that only pharmacists can supply, dispense, deliver and take custody of medicines albeit legitimately in Nigeria.”

In his plea, the PSN boss prayed the FMOH to as a matter of urgency, direct all FHIs to adopt only lawful versions of the PPP initiative which does not inculcate use of private profiteers.

“Honourable Minister, we thank you as you address the obvious vindictive purposelessness playing out in some of the FHIs.”