... Says 5,208 exit in 5 years

…. Condemns stagnation of pharmacists before level 17

By Chioma Obinna

Following what it described as an unprecedented movement of pharmacists away from the country, the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, PSN, on Wednesday lamented the exodus of 5,208 registered pharmacists from Nigeria.

The PSN also condemned the stagnation of pharmacists in the civil service, regretting that most pharmacists in the public sector are not allowed to reach level 17, the peak of their careers.

The PSN President, Prof Cyril Usifoh who spoke at a press conference to herald its 95th Annual National Scientific, billed to hold in Jos, Plateau State, from the 31st of October to the 4th of November, with the theme “Medicine Security in an Unstable Economy”, said in 2021 alone, the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria, PCN, also confirmed that 803 Pharmacists collected letters of good standing from the Council in 2021.

Usifoh who declared an emergency in pharmaceutical practice added that, these pharmacists left in search of the proverbial green pastures in countries like Canada, the UK and the United States, just like their counterparts in other health fields and indeed many young Nigerians. 

He said there was a need for the Federal government to revert the trend through improved welfare, health care funding, infrastructures and enabling environment among others.

“The WHO recommended ratio of healthcare workers to the population is 23 to 1000 while in Nigeria; it is an abysmal 1.95 to 1000. Regarding the Pharmacists component, there are 0.07 Pharmacists to 1000 or 1 pharmacist to over 14,000 Nigerians. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the acceptable and recommended ratio of Pharmacists to the population is one Pharmacist to 2000 of the population. “

Speaking on the stagnation of pharmacists in the civil service, he said the non-advancement to the zenith of their careers has led to an incessant dampening of the morale of public sector pharmacists.

“We request for the promotion of pharmacists to level 17 as it is being done to other professionals in the public service across the board,” he said. According to the PSN boss, the current scheme of service for pharmacists came into existence in 2005 and is long overdue for review. “We hereby request for the immediate review of the scheme of service for pharmacists. This new scheme of service is expected to incorporate the enhanced entry point and enhanced call duty allowance for Pharm. D holders and the approved Consultancy Cadre for pharmacists.”

Regarding the implementation of the Pharmacists’ Consultancy Cadre, Prof Osifoh lamented that following the approval of the Consultancy Cadre for Pharmacists in 2019 and the subsequent release of several extant circulars from 2020, it is unspeakable that pharmacists have been denied their rights to consultancy in the public sector. “We hereby request for the implementation of this circular across board without further delay. The salary structure of pharmacists has remained the same for over a decade while that of their medical counterparts has been reviewed upwards twice in rapid succession. We hereby request for the upward review of the salary structure for pharmacists (CONHESS) to reflect the current realities as adjusted for CONMESS. This should be done as the plans are on to review all health workers’ salaries in the nation.”

On the pharmacists in tertiary health institutions, the Nigerian University Commission (NUC) and National Business and Technical Examination Board (NABTEB) “have perpetually denied our members working in tertiary health institutions their rights to some privileges, claiming that only the above-mentioned agencies could give directives for implementation. We wish to request the Federal Ministry of Health or any other agencies issuing out circulars to also direct the above agencies appropriately.”