Pharmacists Seek Creation of More Spaces for Pharmacy Interns
Members of the newly elected National Executive Committee of the Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists of Nigeria (AHAPN), led by the National Chairman, Dr. Kingsley Chiedu Amibor, have called for the creation of more spaces for interns.
Stating this during a courtesy call on the Registrar of the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN), Elijah Mohammed, in his office in Abuja recently, Amibor said pharmacy graduates now roam the streets of Nigeria in search of nonexistent spaces for the mandatory one year internship, which has assumed a worrisome dimension in the recent past.
He said: “While we commend the PCN for authoring the document for central placement of interns, we wish to observe that the process has not commenced yet, resulting in untold hardship for graduates and parents alike, who are compelled to keep catering for their children and wards several years after leaving school.”
“We believe the PCN is in a position to enforce legislation that will compel industries and employers of labour in the country to absorb more interns in their various establishments for their training programme.
“The council should also bring pressure to bear on the management of tertiary and other health institutions to increase the number of internship slots for pharmacy and other interns from other disciplines.
“The council is also encouraged to increase the number of community pharmacies accredited to train pharmacy interns in their various community outlets.
“And of course, universities, research institutes and pharmaceutical industries should be allocated a minimum number of slots for internship placement.”
The association further urged the council to put her feet down as it concerns accreditation of healthcare institutions intending to establish pharmacy departments in their hospitals.
“What we are simply saying is that the PCN should put her feet down and insist on following specifications when it comes to inspection or accreditation of health care institutions, since pharmacy practice would be better off for it.
“Similarly, we are aware that most private hospitals in Nigeria do not have pharmacists in their employment. I had the privilege of visiting one such big private hospital, and asked for the pharmacist on duty, only to be told that the pharmacist does not work during the weekends. So who covers the pharmacy at such times?” I asked.