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The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) has raised the alarm over the worsening brain drain in the pharmaceutical sector, saying more than 9,500 pharmacists have left Nigeria in the last two years due to poor remuneration and unfavourable working conditions.
The association made this known in a communiqué issued at the end of its 45th Annual International Scientific Conference in Abuja, where it called for urgent government intervention to reverse the exodus and strengthen the country’s pharmaceutical workforce.
The communiqué, signed by its National Chairman, Ambrose Ezeh, and National Secretary, Mrs Obiageri Ikwu, attributed the migration to what it described as a “wretched reward system” in both the public and private sectors, poor practice environments, unwieldy drug distribution channels and a declining academic workforce.
The pharmacists warned that the continued loss of skilled professionals could undermine pharmacy education and healthcare delivery in Nigeria.
The ACPN also called for the integration of community pharmacies into primary healthcare, arguing that their widespread presence and accessibility make them strategic points for affordable first-contact care.
It urged the Federal Government to introduce supportive policies, regulatory reforms and sustainable financing to enable community pharmacies to provide essential medicines and manage uncomplicated diseases, thereby reducing pressure on secondary and tertiary facilities.
The conference urged pharmacists to expand basic screening services, including hypertension and diabetes checks, medication counselling and health education.
It also advocated pharmacy-based clinics offering counselling on malaria, antenatal care, family planning, smoking cessation and the appropriate use of nutraceuticals.
The association directed community pharmacies to improve documentation and data generation, stressing that reliable data would strengthen evidence-based advocacy and policy decisions.
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It identified gaps in political leadership, digital transformation, evidence generation, quality improvement and collaboration as major barriers to patient-centred care.
On drug abuse, the ACPN urged the government to intensify the prosecution of drug peddlers and unlicensed dispensers of controlled medicines.
It called on the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN), National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the police to strengthen enforcement.
The association also demanded the rehabilitation of existing drug treatment centres and the establishment of additional facilities across the six geopolitical zones to tackle what it described as a growing drug-abuse emergency, particularly among youths and women.
The conference called on the National Assembly to conclude pending pharmaceutical-sector legislation, including the amendment of the Fake Drug Act, and proposed the establishment of a Federal Drug Management Agency to coordinate drug procurement through a central pool.
It also advocated the establishment of a National Postgraduate College of Pharmacists to strengthen specialist training and sustain pharmacy education.
The ACPN cautioned the National Assembly against proposed amendments affecting 14 professional councils and NAFDAC, describing some pending health bills as “suppressive and oppressive” and lacking justification in the public interest.
The conference, however, resolved to strengthen collaboration with the PCN, NAFDAC and NDLEA while calling for broader regulatory oversight of pharmaceutical activities, particularly private hospital pharmacies.
