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By Billy Graham Abel Yola
The Pharmacist Council of Nigeria has sealed about five hundred and fourteen pharmacies and patent stores in Adamawa state over operating policy violations.
The Director and Head of Enforcement department of the council, Stephen Esumobi, said about twenty seven (27) pharmacies and four hundred and eighty seven (487) patent medicine stores have been sanctioned over failure to comply to the regulations.
The council enforcement boss said, compliance directives have been issued to about sixteen pharmacy operatives in the state.
This was made known at a press conference held by the Director and Head of Enforcement department of the Pharmacist Council of Nigeria (PCN) Stephen Esumobi, over the weekend in Yola, Adamawa state.
Esumobi said, the council has carried out its enforcement exercise in fifteen local governments of the state, visited 590 patent medicine stores and 115 pharmacies to ensure compliance to the directives and regulations of the council in order to secure public safety.
According to Esumobi, “The national enforcement team visited the following local government areas during the week long enforcement exercise in the state, Yola south, Yola North, Girei, Mayo Belwa, Song, Gombi, Mubi North, Mubi South, Michika, Madagali, Guyuk, Demsa, Shelleng, Numan, and Fufore.
“At the end of the exercise, a total of seven hundred and five (705) premises were visited.
“This comprises five hundred and ninety (590) patent medicine shops and one hundred and fifteen pharmacies.
“A total of five hundred and fourteen premises were sealed comprising twenty seven (27) pharmacies and four hundred and eighty seven (487) patent medicine stores. A total of sixteen compliance directives were issued.”
The Director of Enforcement of the council, (PCN) said while carrying out its supervisory and sensitisation role in the state through the State Patent and Propreitory Medicine Vendors Licence (PPMVL) and Pharmaceutical Inspection Committees in Adamawa, it noticed that several medicine vendors and patent stores show total disregard for the councils policies. He said, “Despite the efforts of the council, a lot of patent medicine vendors are still operating in breach of the guidelines. They have put financial gains above the safety of the public. Many of them are engaged in activities far beyond their scope. Such activities include carrying out clinical services, stocking expired medicines, sale of controlled medicines and substances of abuse to members of the public.”
The PCN said, there are pharmacies and patent stores in the state are operating operating without the services of a pharmacist and most of them do not display their operating licences in contradiction to the requirement of the council.
Esumobi decried that, “These premises have large quantities of potent medicines with narrow margin of safety and it will endanger public health if these premises are allowed to continue operating without the supervision of a pharmacist.
“This category of premises will remain sealed until there is evidence that they have employed a pharmacist. There must also be evidence to show that newly employed pharmacist are resiident in Adamawa state.”
The Enforcement boss called on the general public to obtain drugs from only pharmacies that are licenced by the council and that they could recognise genuine pharmacies and patent medicine stores by the vivid display of their operating licences, which is a basic and mandatory requirement of the council.
