By Sola Ogundipe

As the 2015 elections draw closer, the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, PSN, has called for political engagement of stakeholders in the nation’s health sector.

Making the call in Lagos, President of the PSN, Olumide Akintayo, said following an appraisal of the totality of political happenings in Nigeria in recent months the PSN wondered why politicians have failed woefully at all levels (Federal and State) to imbibe expected rules of engagement with regards to pharmacists and other key stakeholders in the health sector.

Akintayo, who challenged the major political parties to engage the professional associations and trade unions in town hall meetings which inculcates the stakeholders in health especially the professional associations and the trade unions, urged politicians across all sides of the divide to conduct their activities with decorum so that there will be a united Nigeria to preside over after the much talked about elections.

His words: “One would have assumed that a perpetually boiling multidisciplinary sector like health with an array of frontline professionals would normally be a focus of special attention for serious politicians in the business of nation building.”

Akintayo said, in apocalyptic terms, the PSN considers it necessary that the PDP and APC come up with specific action plans on key areas such as Universal Health Coverage (Including Community Based Social Health Insurance Programme (CBSHIP))

For universal coverage to be acceptable, and quality assured for social health insurance, he urged parties to canvass a consolidated healthcare funding which requires first line deduction of at least 5 percent for healthcare delivery. This helps in funding the subsidy gap.

“The NHIS must partner the PSN and its appendages to champion a credible drug supply scheme by facilitating the involvement of major manufacturers and importers in the NHIS.

“We also call for massive advocacy to sell the new Scheme to the Health consuming public and to ensure a proper understanding of the workings of health hnsurance by the Nigerian public.”

For the pharmaceutical sector, Akintayo said government at the centre must come up with reforms that will usher a petrochemical industry which is the precursor for genuine industrial revolution across board.

“The moment Nigeria comes up with benzene plants, then the inertia for primary manufacturing is established in contrast to the stuttering fortunes which we have continually witnessed in our country,” he noted.