Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists of Nigeria (AHAPN) has appealed to the Federal Government to strengthen the health sector, by reviewing the University Teaching Hospital Act (Reconstitution of Boards) Decree 10 of 1985 (now Act Cap U. 15 LFN).
Addressing reporters after the association’s 24th yearly National Scientific Conference in Lagos, the national chairman, Olabode Ogunjemiyo, noted that the request was the sustainable solution to several cases of mismanagement affecting the healthcare space in the country.
The body claimed that the extant law ceded the headship of health institutions only to medical practitioners.
Ogunjemiyo said: “We are, however, saddened that not a single pharmacist made the President’s cabinet. We call on President Bola Tinubu to ensure that pharmacists are represented in the boards of federal teaching hospitals when the time is ripe. This will allow for full representation of pharmacists in the scheme of things.”
He submitted that in the health sector, there abound cases of mismanaged human and material resources.
The AHAPN helmsman added: “A case in point is the mismanagement of the Drug Revolving Fund (DRF) of health institutions in the country, through outright pillaging of its capital with a consequence of stock-outs and unavailability of essential medicines needed for preventing and curing diseases most commonly suffered by Nigerians.”
The association said some of the reasons behind the high emigration of hospital and administrative pharmacists include: poor implementation of the DRF scheme, prevention of pharmacists from providing direct pharmaceutical care to patients, outright refusal by the Federal Ministry of Health and chief executive officers of hospitals to implement the newly approved call duty allowances and entry point for pharmacists with Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree.
Ogunjemiyo stressed that the unfavourable working condition of pharmacists and alleged discriminatory welfare packages in the country’s public hospitals and non-implementation of circulars and policies were also fuelling the emigration syndrome in the health sector.
