Pharmacists below the aegis of Affiliation of Neighborhood Pharmacist of Nigeria(ACPN) have suggested the federal authorities to train warning earlier than banning the importation of medical consumables and medicines into Nigeria.
The ACPN described the current ban on the importation of syringes and needles into the nation as an unprecedented journey and pointless gamble by the Minister of State for Well being and Social Welfare, Dr. Tunji Alausa.
In a petition to President Bola Tinubu, titled, ‘A necessity for a Presidential redress of the gaffe by Dr. Tunji Alausa’, the pharmacists condemned the hasty declaration of the ban and the directive to all Chief Medical Administrators and Medical Administrators of Federal Tertiary Hospitals to obtain their syringes and needles from solely Nationwide Company for Meals and Drug Administration and Management (NAFDAC) authorized native producers.
Within the doc signed by its Nationwide Chairman, Adewale Oladigbolu, and Nationwide Secretary, Omokhafe Ashore, ACPN which described Alausa’s round as not solely illegal however vengeful, referred to as on the President to revoke the pronouncement by Alausa, banning the medical consumables as it can promote monopoly and stock-outs within the provide worth chain of syringes within the nation.
The round, HMSH&SW/CMDs/MDs/FTHs/ Round/S&N/03 dated March 28, 2024, referred to as for the “Use of regionally manufactured needles and syringes,” signed by the Hon. Minister accountable for the Federal Ministry of Social Welfare, “seems a misnomer in lots of features and ramifications,’’ ACPN said.
The minister had in round 2024, directed all Chief Medical Administrators and Medical Administrators of Federal Tertiary Hospitals to obtain needles and syringes from solely the NAFDAC, authorized native producers.
He additionally mandated NAFDAC to cease issuing licences for the importation of overseas manufactured needles and syringes and to delist firms concerned within the importation of those merchandise.
“Out of the 9 native pharmaceutical firms that produced needles and syringes eight years in the past, six have folded up because of dumping of largely substandard items into our market. Mr. President has directed that this should cease.
“Moreover, all our tertiary hospitals are hereby directed to obtain needles and syringes on your hospital wants from solely the NAFDAC authorized native producers listed both straight or by means of any of their distributors.
“Your Excellency, after a cautious analysis of this growth, the ACPN needs to posit that the aforementioned round doesn’t seem to align with the conference and protocol of the civil service in Nigeria. For a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to signal a round as a substitute of a delegated civil servant, quantities to a climax of the absurd.
“The desperation and a seeming ulterior motive by the Minister of State to get entangled procedurally in what ought to have been the unique protect of bureaucrats just like the Everlasting Secretary (PS) or different technocrats just like the related administrators has led to avoidable errors.”
Persevering with, ACPN said that, “Prior to now few weeks, some notable leaders in healthcare and representatives of a few of the varied healthcare skilled our bodies cautioned the Hon. Minister on the necessity to train warning earlier than banning the importation of medical consumables and units in addition to medication in Nigeria.”
The pharmacists additional mentioned that consultants’ “opinion was that the crucial demanded a requisite want evaluation of needles and syringes in Nigeria towards a scientific analysis of the capability utilisation and put in capability of the prevailing three factories which manufactures syringes in Nigeria.
“The ACPN because the technical group of the PSN which is the pure habitat of the most important assemblage of distributors and entrepreneurs of medication, consumables, chemical substances, medical units and different well being consumables stays a robust advocate of native manufacturing.
“The ethos and tenets of commerce recommend that competitiveness brings out the very best when it comes to high quality and pricing index to the benefit of shoppers in all international assessments. Even when we select to jeopardise WTO Treaties to which we’re signatories due to nationwide curiosity, it have to be guided by current experiences within the commodity section markets.””
