By Chioma Obinna & Gabriel Olawale

Pharmacists under the auspices of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) want Federal government to halt further attempts to expand frontiers of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) operations pending successful redressing of alleged flaws put on record by stakeholders even as it raised alarm over indiscriminate sales of aphrodisiacs in public places in Nigeria.

PSN President, Pharm Azubike Okwor and the 1st Vice President, Pharm. Akintayo Olumide said halting the project to address pending issues was the only way to unlock the potentials of social health insurance and energise its future in the best interest of Nigerians.

Okwor alleged that the glaring disconnects and lack of synergy as well as claims and counter claims between stakeholder s in NHIS has continued to diminish the credibility of the scheme which, he said, explains why State governments cannot embrace defective scheme.

They condemned the move to commence the Community Based Social health Insurance programme in the first quarter of 2011, accusing the management of the scheme of not being mindful of the various defects in the implementation of its floundering formal sector programme.

Their words: “Despite protests from all care – providers except general practice doctors and HMOs who continued to enjoy a field day in sharing public funds not worked for. PSN has in the last couple of years continued to catalogue evidence-based deficiencies in the operation of the NHIS. For the records, It is only in this country that capitates secondary and tertiary facilities in a social health insurance scheme. The chains of aberrations are further entrenched through unlawful payment mechanisms dubbed global capitation which ensures that one level of player (primary providers) collects money for services to be rendered by other players (secondary and tertiary providers) and actually pays them contrary to provision of law.”

Continuing, Okwor warned that in the last two years the public place is awash with new generation of drug hawkers who trade in aphrodisiacs packaged in unsightly pornographic packages.

According to him, most of these products commonly displayed in petrol stations, cinemas, hotels, schools, street corners, post offices and other public places that guarantee huge turnovers of fun seeking adults and sometimes minors are outrightly mutilation of internationally registered patented brands.

He said PSN has engaged the services of quality control analysts to carry out assay/analysis of these spurious looking products.

Okwor warned Nigerians against patronising such products due to its hazardous effects said the long term consequences of the ingestion of these products can have far reaching damaging effect on the citizenry.

On its forthcoming 83rd Annual National Conference in Taraba tagged, “Taraba 2010” he explained that week-long programme would commence with a Pharmacists Walk against Malaria” to be led by Her Excellency Hauwa Danbab Suntai, wife of the Governor of Taraba State. The key note address “Healthcare and National Development” will be delivered by Prof. Eyitayo Lambo, former minister of health