By Princewill Ekwujuru

GlaxoSmithKline,(GSK)has joined hands with the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria, (ACPN), to initiate a scheme called Neighbourhood Vaccine to create easy access to affordable vaccines.

Under the partnership, vaccines for prevention of diseases such as cervical cancer, Chicken Pox, Hepatitis B, Typhoid fever, Meningitis, Measles mumps and Rubella, and Hepatitis A, will be available at several neighbourhood pharmacies and clinics across the country thereby making the drugs easier to be purchased.

The Managing Director, GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceutical, Anglophone West Africa, Mr Lekan Asuni, said, the Neighbourhood Vaccine Access Point project is a further proof of the commitment of his firm towards improving the quality of human life by facilitating a quicker access to drugs in a manner better than what has been available.

‘GSK has always sought for ways and means of improving the quality of life of people and through this scheme by presenting the opportunity for people to have first and fast access to high quality healthcare.

Community Pharmacy practice is a key success factor and essential component in the health of the nation, so deepening their skill base, in our view is a very worthy investment,’ Asuni said.

According to him, it is better to prevent diseases rather than allowing people to contract them which then leads to unnecessary sufferings and attendant high costs of caring for preventable-diseases, or suffering the economic consequences of lost work time and productivity. In all, accredited pharmacy stores are to serve as micro distribution points of these vaccines to unreached clinics in the first phase of the programme that has already been rolled out. The access points/pharmacies will also serve as centres for obtaining information on vaccines preventable diseases.

In another interview, National Chairman, ACPN, Dr, Mrs Ejiro Foyibo, said vaccines prevent the spread of diseases to vulnerable people who are not or cannot be vaccinated and also beneficial for employers as they contribute to work productivity and lower costs of health care.

Foyibo added that ACPN in association with GlaxoSmithKline will enlighten the public effectively so that people can identify with the accredited neighbourhood access points/pharmacies and clinics closest to them all over the country, involved in this programme.