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Aug162017 by PharmaTimesNo Comments

Farewell to Open Drug Market in Nigeria

NEWS

Over time Nigeria’s drug market has been described as chaotic. One major contributing factor to the prevalence of fake and substandard medicines in Nigeria is the continued presence of the highly unregulated open drug markets across major cities of the country, where medicines are sold in the open air - on street corners, at kiosks and at stalls. These markets are widely known as sources and conduits for faking medicines in Nigeria and other countries. Notable open drug markets in Nigeria include those located in Lagos (Idumota market), Kano (Sabon-Gari), and Onitsha market. In a bid to improve on the health of Nigerians and make sure that patent medicine dealers make available to Nigerians quality drugs, and curb drug faking in the country, the Federal Government prohibited the open mark

Aug162017 by PharmaTimesNo Comments

Satellite Pharmacy: Why We Are Not Yet Ready

NEWS

The concept of Satellite Pharmacy is perhaps a strange phenomenon here in these parts of the world, but as the world becomes a global village Nigeria has no choice than to fall completely in line with what has become a growing norm in the field of pharmaceutical healthcare services. A satellite pharmacy can be described as a pharmacy in an institution which renders specialised services for the patients of the institution and which is dependent upon the centrally located pharmacy for administrative control, staffing, and drug procurement. Thus there has been an increasing need to foster the idea of satellite pharmacies in the country owing to the challenge posed by how to meet the pharmaceutical needs of Nigerians living especially in underserved/rural areas. But the problems inherent i

Aug162017 by PharmaTimesNo Comments

Nigeria Drug Market Is Chaotic, Says Pharmacist

NEWS

Nigeria’s drug market has been described as very chaotic and unorganised. This comment was made by Pharm. Uduogaranya Patrick, Associate Professor, Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Management, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He made this comment during the 2017 international Pharmacy Preceptor Development Workshop recently held in UNTH, Enugu. Uduogaranya, who expressed his opinion during an interview with PharmaTimes in Enugu, said “The Nigeria drug market is chaotic and totally disorganised. The situation is not ideal for any pharmacist. While many may say that the industry has provided employment and the rest, I am of the opinion that if the market is well structured it can still do much better. People are dying from certain things, which should not be the case.” While

Aug162017 by PharmaTimesNo Comments

LASSA FEVER: LUTH Discharges 1, Clears 60 Under Watch

NEWS

Seven days after reports of Lassa fever outbreak at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, went viral, one of the three hospital workers infected by the Lassa virus has been discharged. Two other infected patients have been responding to treatment and are likely to be discharged this week even as 60 persons under surveillance have been cleared from the list. Giving this update to Vanguard in a telephone chat yesterday, the Chairman Medical Advisory Committee, CMAC, LUTH, Prof. Olufemi Fasanmade, said the first patient was discharged Sunday after being certified free of the infectious disease. “We discharged one of them last Sunday and the remaining two will be discharged this week. They are all fine. They will be going home tomorrow (today) or next. After that we won’t have any o

Aug162017 by PharmaTimesNo Comments

Patients Lock Edo Central Hospital Over Robbery Attacks

NEWS

Aggrieved patients receiving treatment at the Edo State Central Hospital yesterday put the hospital’s two gates under lock and key, preventing out-patients and staff from accessing the hospital. The protesting patients who are women overpowered the only security guard at the gate and padlocked them with their own keys. Daily Trust learnt that the protest which began at 7am was as a result of robbery attacks in the hospital. The spokesperson of the protesters, Loveth Ogenekaro, said the patients could no longer tolerate what she described as incessant robbery incidents. She said, “Last Sunday at t 1am, armed robbers entered the maternity ward through the ceiling and disposed a patient’s relation of N100,000 and three phones. Last week patients at the accident and emergency ward

Aug162017 by PharmaTimesNo Comments

Appeal Court Affirms PCN’s Regulatory Roles

NEWS

The Court of Appeal has again affirmed the regulatory powers of the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) over pharmaceutical technologists and technicians. A statement from the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria, yesterday said the appellate court sitting in Calabar, Cross River State, recently dismissed an appeal by the National Association of Pharmaceutical Technologists and Pharmacy Technicians of Nigeria (NAPPTON) and three others seeking to be independent in regulation matters as it relates to its members. While dismissing the suit in favour of the council, the Court of Appeal, in a unanimous decision, upheld the contention of the respondents that PCN did not breach the fundamental human rights of members of the association, when it sealed shops in Calabar operated by members of the a...

Aug152017 by PharmaTimesNo Comments

In Memoriam: Remembering Nurse Justina Ejelonu

NEWS

I never contacted his fluids. I checked his vitals, helped him with his food (he was too weak)…..I basically touched where his hands touched and dats d only contact. not directly with his fluids. @ a stage, he yanked off his infusion and we had blood everywhere on his bed…..but d ward maids took care of that and changed his linens with great precaution. Every patient is treated as high risk ….if it were airborne, by now wahala for dey. i still thank God. Friends, up to our uniforms and all linens were burnt off. We are on surveillance and off work till 11th. Our samples v long bn taken by WHO n so far we v been fine. Ms. Ejelonu's last Facebook post How Many Of us Remembered That Yesterday Was Another Year Gone by since we lost Nurse Justina Ejelonu. Nurse Justina Ejelonu attended to

Aug152017 by PharmaTimesNo Comments

Why Nigeria’s Pharma Industry Must Be Transparent – Teresa Pounds

Interviews, NEWS

Dr. Teresa Pounds is the Clinical Pharmacy Manager and Pharmacy Residency Programme Director, Wellstar Atlanta Medical Centre, in Atlanta, Georgia - USA. In this interview with PharmaTimes’ Gabriel Ifinnwa, she speaks about the pharmaceutical practice in Nigeria, and how to curb the high cost of drugs in the country. Excerpts: Tell us about yourself? My name is Teresa Pounds. I am a native of Asaba, Delta State; I went to pharmacy school in the US. I obtained my bachelor of science, Doctor of Pharmacy, and then I did my post graduate residency where I specialised in Parental nutrition support and critical care. I have been practising in the US for more than 20 years. I am currently the Clinical Pharmacy manager and Director at Wellstar, Atlanta Medical Centre in Atlanta, Georgia, US. I

Aug152017 by PharmaTimesNo Comments

Advancing Pharmacy Practice in Nigeria via Preceptorship

NEWS

The Pharmacy profession has been dramatically changed from drug oriented to patient oriented profession around the world. The Pharmacist has now become a key member of the multi-disciplinary health team. For instance, pharmacists are now involved in patient care by attending ward round with physicians, providing drug information, reviewing patient files and educating patients about their medications, being actively involved in drug selection and tailoring treatment plan on individual basis, at least in the developed societies. Interestingly, a number of developing countries are embracing this emerging trend in the pharmacy profession because of its potentials in advancing the quality of lives of people on one hand, and its capacity to enhance the manpower needs of nations in the health se...

Aug152017 by PharmaTimesNo Comments

Nigeria, USAID Launch Medical Warehouse Facility

NEWS

The United State Agency for International Development, USAID, and the Nigerian Ministry of Health on Monday inaugurated a medical facility that will provide medical authorities better access to lifesaving medicines and other essential health commodities. USAID in a press statement said the Abuja Premier Medical Warehouse facility, also known as “Warehouse in a box”, was constructed in partnership with Nigeria’s Ministry of Health and Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The new state of the art medical storage facility costs $5.1 million. Stephen Haykin, Mission Director of USAID, at the launch said the 3,500-square meter kitted structure was shipped to Nigeria for onsite assembly and features smooth dust-free floor surfaces, temperature regulating systems, security

Aug152017 by PharmaTimesNo Comments

Guild of Medical Directors Decry Current Situation of NHIS

NEWS

The Guild of Medical Directors has expressed dissatisfaction with the current situation of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and called for a speedy resolution of the face off between it and the Federal Ministry of Health. The guild called on government to decisively and speedily intervene to rectify all anomalies hindering the smooth functioning of the scheme in the country. In a communiqué issued after its National Executive Council meeting in Abuja, President of the guild, Prof. Femi Dokun-Babalola, noted that the guild has no objection to the current structure of the scheme involving the NHIS, the Health Management Organisations (HMOs), the service providers (hospitals) and the enrollees. He added that there is however a need to fine-tune the relationship between these

Aug152017 by PharmaTimesNo Comments

FG to Set up Intl Reference Centre for Treatment of Lassa Fever

NEWS

The federal government is to establish an International Reference Biorsources Centre for treatment of Lassa fever in Abuja. The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, confirmed the plan while inaugurating the committee for the establishment of the centre in his office. The minister promised that the ministry would provide what was needed to strengthen the relationship between the research institutes and organized private sector to actualize the plan. He also promised that the ministry would look into the initiative and see how it could be incorporated into the ministry’s budgetary plan to encourage symbiotic relationship between the innovators and interested investors in the Research and Development sector. With the establishment of the centre, he said Nigeria wou

Aug152017 by PharmaTimesNo Comments

Lack of Funds Thwarts HIV/AIDS Control in Jigawa

NEWS

Lack of funds has been identified as a major hindrance affecting the conduct of HIV/AIDS test in the designated centres across Jigawa State. Chairman, Jigawa State House of Assembly Committee on Health, Alhaji Lawan Bullet, made the disclosure while presenting a report on the HIV/AIDS Test Situation in health facilities across the state. He said their findings also showed that the State Agency for the Control of Aids, SACA, did not receive any overhead cost since 2015, despite the provision of N1.8 million in its recurrent vote, thereby affecting the activities of the agency in controlling the spread of the disease. According to him, the state assembly has directed the state government to release the remaining N44 million allocated to SACA to enable the agency meet with its obligati

Aug152017 by PharmaTimesNo Comments

Unilorin Medical Students Offer Free Surgeries to 20 Indigent Persons

NEWS

The final year medical students of the University of Ilorin have performed free cataract surgeries for 20 indigent people as part of their projects. They also offered free screening to many people. Speaking on behalf of the students, Moshood Mustapha said the students decided to contribute a token to show concern for those affected by cataract but could not afford the cost of surgery. "It is a two-day-programme. We conducted screening on the first day and surgery on the second day. There would still be post operation programme and we would need to spend more money," Mustapha said. Head of the Department of Medicine, Professor Joshua F. Owoeye said cataract, was the number one cause of blindness, adding that it was curable. He said: "It is as a result of the fact that peop

Aug142017 by PharmaTimesNo Comments

Averting Abuse of Pharmacy License through Investment

Editorial Opinion, NEWS

Stakeholders in the pharmacy profession are unanimous in their opinions that abuse of pharmacy license by practitioners remains a major factor militating against the development of the profession in the country. Popular opinion agrees there is the need to confront the challenge using multi-pronged approach such as: re-orientation of young pharmacists, enforcement of relevant laws by PCN, mandatory capturing of personal data of all members, funding, collaborative efforts by practitioners and the entire stakeholders in the industry, as well as adoption of the whistle blower strategy, etc. Recall that upon graduation from the universities in the 1960’s up to late 1980’s, pharmacists got their dream jobs with minimum effort. But all that changed when the Nigerian economy began to head sout