By Danzumi Ishaku
The Pharmacists Council of Nigeria has sealed 358 medical facilities and given sixteen compliance directives across local government areas in Taraba state.
The Director, Inspection and Monitoring of the Council Mrs Anthonia Aruya, disclosed this at a news conference in Jalingo on Friday after a tour of Five hundred and Thirty Nine facilities across the state.
Aruya said the observation of of the team in Taraba shows that many people in the state go into the sale of medicines without due recognition of laid down guidelines for setting up such facilities while some are outrightly not qualified to go into the business of selling medicines as they can neither read nor write.
“At the end of our exercise in Taraba state, we visited five hundred and thirty nine premises comprising of fifty two Pharmacies and four hundred and eighty seven Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendors (PPMVs).
Three Hundred and Fifty Eight premises were sealed comprising of Seven Pharmacies and Three Hundred and Fifty One PPMVs. Sixteen Compliance Directives were issued to one Pharmacy and Fifteen PPMVs for various offenses ranging from improper handling of controlled substances, unhygienic environment, poor documentation and dispensing of ethical prescription drugs without the presence of a pharmacist.
“Our observation in the field reveal that some of them 9do not have the requisite knowledge or skills to handle medicines in their premises or are operating beyond their approved scope. More worrisome is the fact that some could not even read or write or communicate in English at all. One would therefore imagine how they are able to handle medicines in their facilities and the attendant public health implications”.
Mrs Aruya said that this first phase of the council geared towards streamlining the drug distribution system in the state would be followed by further actions in due course and assured of the commitment of the PCN to the provision of good pharmaceutical services for the people of the state.
She urged the people to always source for drugs from registered pharmacy outlets and PPMVs shops as drugs sold in unregistered outlets could not be guaranteed to be genuine.
