Lawal Fadekemi

September 25 is a day set aside to annually highlight the value of the pharmaceutical profession to stakeholders globally. This day was set aside in 2009 by The International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), adopted at the World Congress of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences the same year.

The year’s theme, “Safe and effective medicine for all” has been announced on March 2019. According to FIP, the theme is aimed to promote pharmacists’ role in safeguarding patient’s safety through improving medication use and reducing medication error.

FIP President, Dominique Jordan in a statement said: “We ensure access to medicines and their appropriate use, improve adherence, coordinate care transitions, and so much more. Today, more than ever, pharmacists are charged with the responsibility to ensure that when a patient uses a medicine, it will not cause harm”

In Nigeria, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria is an Association for all pharmacist founded in 1927 with the aim of maintaining a high standard of professional ethics and discipline among its Members. It has Head Office in Lagos with Ahmad Ibrahim Yakasai FPSN as the incumbent President, State Chairmen for the 36 States of the Federation and five technical arms namely: Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacist (AHPN), Association of Community Pharmacist in Nigeria (ACPN), National Association of Pharmacist in Academia (NAPA), National Association of Industrial Pharmacist (NAIP) and recently Young Pharmacist group of Nigeria (YPGN).

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There are more than 23,000 registered pharmacists, 17 Accredited Universities offering Pharmacy as a Degree course either as Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm. D) which is the current minimum standard in many developed countries or Bachelor of Pharmacy (B.pharm). There is a Pharmacist Council of Nigeria (PCN) which is a federal government agency responsible for regulating and controlling education and practice in all aspects and ramifications, including Pharmacy Technicians and patent and proprietary medicine vendors.

As the theme of this year implies, the government needs to actively collaborate with the pharmacist to ensure better pharmaceutical services and also make provisions for Pharmacy and drug related laws that will encourage and promote locally made drugs.

• vanguard