How ‘ medicine dealers’ threaten public health, national security
* PCN takes activities to Sokoto, seals 37 pharmacies, 262 patent medicine shops for operating without registration, others
THE regulatory body for all pharmacists and medicine dealers in the country, the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria ( PCN) has warned that activities of medicine dealers in unregistered outlets within and outside the open drug markets constitute a threat to public health and national security.
Registrar, PCN, Elijah Mohammed, at a press conference in Sokoto, said the need to ensure that standards are maintained in all premises where medicines are sold prompted the Council o to step up its enforcement activities across the nation.
Mohammed said pharmaceutical intervention is a vital component in the fight against the COVID- 19 pandemic and other diseases prevalent in the environment. He, however, said for medicines to remain relevant, they must be safe, effective and of good quality as they transit from one level of the distribution chain to another until they get to patients and other consumers.
PCN is the Federal Government parastatal charged with the responsibility of regulating and controlling the education, training and practice of pharmacy in all aspects and ramifications as established by Decree 91 of 1992, now Pharmacists Council of Nigeria Act Cap P17, LFN, 2004.
Mohammed, in a press statement, signed by Director, Enforcement, PCN, Stephen Esumobi, said the unregistered premises do not have appropriate storage facilities thereby exposing medicines to harsh environmental factors like high temperature, humidity and sunlight ( for photosensitive medicines). He said these conditions cause degradation of medicines thus making many of them unsuitable for human consumption.
Mohammed said these illegal medicine outlets do not have pharmacists to supervise the dispensing of ethical medicines and this has contributed immensely to irrational dispensing of medicines resulting in treatment failures and untoward effects on patients and other unsuspecting members of the public who patronise them.
Also, the PCN boss said open drug markets have contributed in no small ways to the adverse security situation in some parts of the country because they are sources of supply of substances of abuse to various people with criminal tendencies who carry out their activities under the influence of these drugs.
Mohammed said the PCN enforcement team were in Sokoto state since last week and the aim of the enforcement exercise was to ensure that all premises where medicines are sold are registered, having fulfilled conditions with respect to location, storage facilities, environment, documentation and personnel. He said the Local Government Areas ( LGAS) visited by the team include: Sokoto South, Sokoto North, Wamakko, Kware, Binji, Bodinga, Shagari, Yabo, Tambuwal, Kebbe, Tureta and Dange/ Shuni.
The PCN Registrar said that at the end of the enforcement exercise a total of 536 premises comprising 90 pharmacies and 446 patent medicine shops were visited. Mohammed said a total of 299 premises made up of 37 pharmacies and 262 patent medicine shops were sealed for various offences some of which include operating without registration with Pharmacists Council of Nigeria, failure to renew premises license, dispensing ethical products without the supervision of a pharmacist, poor storage and sanitary conditions among others while six pharmacies and patent medicine shops were issued compliance directives. He said a total of two arrests were made.
Mohammed said the Sokoto State Office of the PCN is doing all in its power to assist owners of premises who are ready to comply with regulations and the facilities that fulfill conditions for registration as patent medicine shops will be registered and their owners will be trained on how to handle simple household medicines at the PCN orientation programme.