SINCE the inception of the Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor-led administration in May 2007, over 120 Patent Medicine and Pharmacy Stores in Edo State have been reportedly hammered, for either failing to meet the prescribed standards or operating outside the frame work of the law regulating the Pharmacy Profession.

GOVERNOR Osunbor who gave the hint recently while declaring open the 2008 Pharmacy week in Benin City, noted that since the Pharmacy Profession plays a pivotal role in ensuring the upward review of the activities of essential drug project in the state, he would ensure that throughout the life of his administration, the issue of monitoring, regulation and control of drug outlets remained paramount.

IT is noteworthy, however, that the Edo State government, in its efforts to sanitise pharmacy practice and safeguard the health of its citizenry, has taken bold steps to regulate and monitor drug outlets by closing down those stores whose operations have fallen below standard.

IT is also refreshing to note that the Edo State government action is informed by its desire to revamp the Essential Drug Project for it to supply quality and affordable drugs for the benefit of the people, more so, as it is a component part of government’s efforts to attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) by the target year 2015.

GRANTED that drug administration borders on the health of the people, no measure can be described as too harsh in terms of ensuring standard. Indeed, professionalism, integrity and transparency ought to be the guiding principles of the pharmacy profession, since lives are directly involved in the process of the practice.

CONSIDERING the level of moral breakdown, greed and crass wickedness which had led some fellows to trade in fake and adulterated drugs in the recent past, and the fact that many patent and pharmacy stores are known to engage in practices other than the ones for which they have been registered, no responsible government will fold its arms to see lives being destroyed without taking a bold step, to curb the ugly menace.

WE recall that while briefing the Edo State House of Assembly on activities of his Ministry in July this year, the Edo State Health Commissioner, Dr. Wilson Imongan had promised that tough times awaited such pharmacy stores that had not complied with the regulations regarding their practice.

IMONGAN had asserted then that even when 120 such stores had been closed by his ministry, it would do everything within its reach to clamp down on all sub-standard clinics, maternities and hospitals in Edo State, which do not meet the requirement of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Pharmaceutical Association of Nigeria and the Nursing and Midwifery Association of Nigeria.

TO ensure prompt delivery of services, the Commissioner equally charged members of communities where there are hospitals to report any doctor who abandons his/her duty posts, to the government through the Ministry, for appropriate sanction.

NOTHING can be more re-assuring than the outright clampdown on sub-standard drug outlets, to prove government’s sincerity and commitment to the crusade against quackery in the medical profession.

HOWEVER, The NIGERIAN OBSERVER wishes to caution that adequate investigation and research be carried out on the so-called sub-standard drug outlets before the hammer is applied on them. Besides, adequate sensitisation and enlightenment of members of the public on what constitutes standards, and the indices by which sub-standard stores are recognised, need to be carried out urgently, with a view to safeguarding the health of the people.

UNLESS the people are sufficiently aware of what the standards are, they are likely to keep patronizing quacks, thereby undermining their own health condition.

IT is of necessity therefore, that the state government should carry out a rejuvenated campaign on sub-standard drug outlets, not just with the people in mind, but also by initiating sound policy arrangement that would strengthen the parastatals, departments and agencies already saddled with this task, to enable them carry out their assigned tasks justiceably.

INDEED, we wish to remind the government that quackery and sub-standard patent and pharmacy stores thrive most where the people are grossly ignorant of the requirements of the practice. The people thus have a right to know. Good enough, the government’s resolve not to compromise standard has yielded some fruitful results.

BUT beyond this, those who have been displaced by the closure of their stores ought to be re-admitted into the practice by having their licences renewed and recertified after they have been made to meet the requisite standards. The government can equally assist them to meet with standards by training and retraining them appropriately.,

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