PSN seeks creation of rehabilitation centres to stem drug abuse effect

The Lagos state chapter of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) has urged the Federal Government (FG) to establish six national rehabilitation centres across the six geo-political zones of the country in order to stem the effect of drug abuse.

The Lagos PSN Chairman, Pharm Adeniran Bolanle, who made the call at the opening ceremony of the 2018 pharmacy week said there was urgent need to embrace some immediate actions in view of the menace of drug abuse and misuse among youths in the country.

“In the last few months, there has been a flurry of activities and other advocacy initiatives to redress the menace of drug misuse and abuse in our country, in which the options have been widened to include the probability of new legislations by the National Assembly,” she said.

Meanwhile, the pharmacists have urged the FG to address the issues surrounding the welfare of public health workers, which has affected the health system of the country.

They said the refusal of the FG to approve enough funds to cater for the adjustment of the Consolidate Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) Scale as was done with the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure (CONMESS) Scale will continue to cause uproar in the health system if not addressed immediately.

“We are worried because the arrowheads of the federal government negotiating and coordinating teams as epitomized by the health ministry and labour ministry are both active members of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), which has launched a war of attrition against other health workers in the bid to actualize their legitimate reward for labour,” the stressed.

The pharmacists urged president Muhammadu Buhari to effectively hear from all sides of the divide and display fairness and justice to all concerned in the health sector, if the perennial entropy in the health system must be redressed.

“The matter cannot be wished away because it is only a forced silence that presently engulfs our hospitals at Federal and State levels,” they noted.
The pharmacist, however, commended the National Assembly for obliging and responding positively to strengthening the existing impotent Pharmacy Laws in the interest of consumers of health.

They said the potential benefits of the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria Bill, when it becomes an Act of Parliament would ensure better regulation, monitoring and control of all pharmaceutical premises and personnel in Nigeria, strengthen revolutions in the drug distribution chain as there will be proper stratification at all levels of the drug flow from manufacturers and importers to wholesale among others.