By Henry Uche
With the lingering conflict of interest between physicians under the umbrella of Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), the latter has vowed to tackle the NMA’s opposition head-on.
PSN also called on the Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to, without further delay, lift the suspension imposed on the consultant cadre for pharmacists in the employment of the state government in 2018 by former Governor Akinwumi Ambode.
In an address at the 2022 annual general meeting of the PSN in Lagos, PSN chairman, Gbolagade Iyiola, said the non-implementation of the consultant pharmacy cadre by the Lagos State Government (LASG) was unbecoming.
“This matter is presently being challenged by the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU) at the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, Ibadan Division, to stop the abuse obviously aided by government inaction. It is important to sound it loud and clear now to government at all levels that we shall tackle the NMA breath for breath, metre for metre.
“Healthcare cannot be driven by the egocentric proclivities of Nigerian physicians, but by global best practices. Physicians are quick to mouth best practices when it suits them, but suffer selective amnesia when it comes to leveraging on appropriate benefit packages for all members of the health team.”
According to Iyiola, Nigerian pharmacists have been graduating consultant pharmacists, West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists (WAPCP), since 1997, which transcends to a whopping 25 years, without recognition of their hard-earned skills.
He charged the Federal Government to encourage all state government and local government areas to institute the consultant cadre for pharmacists and indeed eligible health workers across board.
“Physicians, under the aegis of NMA, used members to cause several hiccups, which held back the approval for nine years without the release of the circular for the scheme of service of the fellowship programme of the WAPCP, which is similar to the fellowship programmes of doctors in the West African College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologist, West African College of Surgeons and other related sister colleges in medical practice.
“Since 2011, the National Council on Establishment approved the consultant pharmacist cadre but the antics of many physician bureaucrats in sensitive segments of the public service completely frustrated the circularization of the NCE approval until nine years later in 2020.”
Iyiola maintained that the misnomer prompted the government at federal and state levels to invite NMA under hypocritical templates to directly and indirectly participate in negotiations of the welfare packages of non-physician health workers when such was never extended to the groups of personnel in the negotiation of the benefit of physicians.
“We advise the Lagos State government to stop the invitation of physicians to dabble into a trade dispute between LASG and NUHAP (Lagos State). The consultant clinical pharmacist cadre is an advanced level of career position that is a pace-setter in education, research and the delivery of specialist/expert pharmacy practice.
“The consultant cadre is necessary for the sustainable growth of the pharmacy profession globally. It is instinctive to put on record that the cadre puts pharmacy at a height of professional learning and practice to look up to.
“The cadre beyond ensuring significant contributions towards basic healthcare delivery and optimising healthcare outcomes ensures optimal medication therapy, which underscores the availability of quality drugs supply in every credible health system.”
He stressed that pharmacists who manufacture drugs are also the only trained personnel in the sale, dispensing, distribution and procurement of drugs, saying, “This is why a pharmacist is globally acclaimed the expert on drugs.”
“Contrary to the mutilated conception that physicians are leaders who dictate the pace in healthcare in Nigeria, we document with evidence-based data that the shift in leadership of the health sector has made it possible to descend to 187th out of 191 health systems.”
“For too long, NMA had always intimidated the FG and state governments with threats of varying nature especially, strike actions and withdrawal of services. We remind government at all levels again that NMA and its affiliates like NARD and MDCAN are not trade unions and so logically they should not be granted privileges to negotiate Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) and MOUs on behalf of its members.
He said, if government concedes to NMA pressure to attempt to sabotage the approval already given our kith and kin on this occasion, they shall respond in like manner to meet government at any level it allows the NMA to push the matter.
“We call on Nigerians who are familiar with the dynamics of modern day healthcare delivery to help the section of Nigerian physicians who continue to behave like itinerant health quacks who have gotten used to usurping the rights, privileges and benefits of others in the value-chain of Healthcare in Nigeria to desist forthwith.
“There is no popularity contest as our priority remains improving patient outcomes via cost-effective therapies. To optimise therapeutic outcome in patient-care in today’s world, a pharmacist needs the right knowledge to help support our patients. Physicians also need in-patient clinical support of pharmacists to excel and to compel a boost in competencies of care-givers across board in the country.”
On re-organising primary healthcare services in Nigeria, he added that the way forward is that “government must involve pharmacists, medical laboratory scientists and other health workers in primary healthcare services in Nigeria.”