How to revive ailing health sector, by clinical pharmacists

•Honour Adelusi-Adeluyi, Muanya, others for outstanding performance on healthcare development

National Chairman, Clinical Pharmacists Association of Nigeria (CPAN), Dr. Joseph Madu, has revealed that any healthcare system that ignores the role of clinical pharmacists is bound to fail, hence he called on government to employ enough clinical pharmacists, if the country’s ailing health sector must be revived.

He noted that only pharmacists are best trained of all health care professionals in the knowledge of drugs.

Madu made this known during the first year international scientific conference of the association, with the theme, ‘Healthcare in the 21st Century: Prospects of Clinical Pharmacy Practice in Nigeria’.

Madu, who is a consultant clinical pharmacist, also called on the Federal Government to implement the consultant pharmacist cadre in all healthcare institutions, and recognise the practice of clinical pharmacy, Doctor of Pharmacy, and the indispensable roles clinical pharmacists play in preventing, detecting, categorising, and resolving of potential or actual drug therapy problems.

He stressed the need for government to specifically engage specialist clinical pharmacists such as infectious disease pharmacists, paediatric pharmacists, cardiology pharmacists, critical care pharmacists, all of whom are produced from the West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacy (WAPCP) or other schools abroad.

Madu, in his address, cited the National Drug Policy of 2021, which stipulates the enshrinement of clinical pharmacy practice in Nigeria’s healthcare institutions, the classification of all drugs in the country to capture the class of pharmacy-only medicines (Pharmacy Initiated Medicines), as well as the Pharmacy Council Act of 2022, which encourages pharmaceutical care and its other aspects such as collaborative care and therapeutic drug monitoring.

Also, the first professor of clinical pharmacy in Africa, Prof. Cletus Nzebunwa Aguwa, in his keynote address, emphasised that the pharmacist is usually the first point of call on health matters for many members of the community, as majority of the sick in the society, first report to the pharmacy for help for all types of ill health.

He stated that pharmacists in Nigeria, especially those in various communities and rural areas provide primary health care and should be properly recognised for offering such clinical services.

The immediate past president of Nigerian Association of Pharmacists and Pharmaceutical Scientists in the Americas (NAPPSA), Dr. Anthony Ikeme, emphasised the need for other healthcare professionals to work closely with clinically trained pharmacists for better quality of healthcare in Nigeria, as seen in other countries with good health indices and higher life expectancy.

The conference, said to be the first of its kind in the entire West African sub-region, held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital. It started with a sensitisation road walk against drug abuse and misuse of medicines by clinical pharmacists.

The conference, which was declared open by the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner For Health, Prof. Augustine Umoh, had in attendance the state Commissioner for Information, Comrade Ini Ememebong, who represented Governor Udom Emmanuel.

The international conference saw people from various parts of the globe participating both physically and online.

Some hands on training and updated practical first aid skills for pharmacists were done and the conference was rounded off with an Annual General Meeting (AGM) and a closing dinner, where some distinguished Nigerians, including a former Minister of Health, Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi OFR; Chukwuma Muanya of The Guardian Newspapers; Prof. Cletus Nzebunwa Aguwa; Prof. Amem Abasi-Bassey, Chief Medical Doctor (CMD), University of Uyo Teaching Hospital received various honours and awards.