From Sola Ojo, Kaduna
Chairman, Governing Council, Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN), Professor Ahmed Mora on Monday said Nigeria has the capacity to produce its COVID-19 vaccine for its population and other African countries.
Mora, a professor with Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State told journalists after the opening ceremony of the one-day sensitization workshop (Northwest) to kick-start the implementation of the Pharmacist Consultant Cadre within the healthcare system in Nigeria, held in Kaduna.
According to him, “as we speak, I’m supposed to be attending a conference at Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State where I am a Professor and a member of the Igbinedion University Teaching Hospital where we are having the first-ever conference towards developing African vaccine for COVID-19.
“I can tell you authoritatively that apart from what the federal government is doing, a privately owned university is working in developing this vaccine for the country. Yes, Nigeria has the capacity to produce the vaccine”, he said.
Breaking down what the newly recognised cadre means for the country he said, “the consultancy cadre as approved by the federal government for the Fellow of West African Postgraduate Colleges of Pharmacists (Nigeria Chapter), will bring along the recognition of the competence and expertise of these fellows to be deployed in the health care facilities especially the teaching hospital, general hospitals and even primary health centres and other spectrum of the pharmacy practices like manufacturing facilities, community pharmacies and faculties of pharmacies in Nigeria.
“All along, there was no recognition. But with the recognition given by the head of the civil service of the federation, the fellows that have reached the age, for instance in the civil service you have to be from grade level 13 and above to be recognised and remunerated as such at health care facilities so that you can work with other health care professionals in that particular facility.
“So, this development will assist the fellows to put in their best. There is rthe elationship between performance and motivation because they know they are going to be remunerated”, he explained.
Registrar, PCN, Elijah Muhammed, noted that, the development would address the issue of drig use and drug management in the country because the fellow would put in a lot of experience they had acquired over the years.
“There are a lot of knowledge acquired over the years and the pharmacists have not been gallowedto showcase tthis knowledgeand use them to impact on the society. So, with this, we now have the opportunity to specialise in certain areas and then put in the knowledge we have acquired in the field of drug management and pharmaceutical care in the country”, he said.
In his view, Chairman, West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists, Nigeria Chapter, Dr Chijioke Onyia, corroborated earlier speakers that the recognition “will help the fellows to understand their expectations and the need to share the roles and responsibilities expected of them’.