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The Proliferation of Fake Drugs in the Nigerian Market, Whose Faults? By Sani Garba
The
bitterness of low quality drugs remains long after the sweetness
of low price is forgotten. --Nigerian
Association of General Pharmacist Practice [NAGPP] The
issue of fake drugs and others is assuming new dimension as to who is
responsible or not in averting the situation. Is it NAFDAC, Federal
ministry of Health, Pharmacist Council of Nigeria, or who? This article
looks at those who in one way or the other have a hand in the control of
drugs, foods etc, their power/functions by either law or circumstances,
their achievements and failure, to see whether they are performing above
board. In addition, we shall see what a fake drug[s] is [are], how they
come into NAFDAC NAFDAC
is established to do the following: a]
“regulate and control the importation, exportation,
manufacture, advertisement, distribution, sale and sue food, drugs,
cosmetics, medical devices, bottled water and chemicals; b]
“conduct appropriate tests and ensure compliance with standard
specifications designated and approved by the council for the effective
control of quality of food, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, bottled
water and chemicals and their raw material as well as their production
processes in factories and other establishments; c]
“undertake
appropriate investigation into the production premises and raw materials
for food, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, bottled water and chemicals
and establish relevant quality assurance systems, including
certification of the production sites and of the regulated products; d]
“undertake inspection of imported food, drugs, cosmetics,
medical devices, bottled water and chemicals and establish relevant
quality assurance systems and of the regulated products; e]
“compile
standard specification and guidelines for the production, importation,
exportation, sales and distribution of food, drugs, cosmetics, medical
devices, bottle water and chemical; f]
“undertake
the registration of foods, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, bottled
water chemical; g]
“control the exportation and issue quality certification of
food, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, bottled water and chemicals
intended for export; h]
“establish
and maintain relevant laboratories or other institutions in strategic
areas of i]
“pronounce
on the quality and safety of food, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices,
bottled water and chemicals after appropriate analysis; j]
“undertake
measures to ensure that the use of narcotic drugs and psychotropic
substances are limited to medical and scientific purposes; k]
“grant
authorization for the import and export of narcotic drugs and
psychotropic substances as well as other controlled substances; l]
“collaborate
with the National Law Enforcement Agency in measures to eradicate drug
abuse in m]
“advice
federal, state and local government, the private sector and other
interested bodies regarding the quality, safety and regulatory
provisions on food, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, bottled water and
chemicals; n]
“undertake
and co-ordinate research programmes on the storage, adulteration,
distribution and rational use of food, drugs, cosmetics, medical
devices, bottled water and chemicals; o]
“issue
guidelines on, approve and monitor the advertisement of food, drugs,
cosmetics, medical devices, bottles water and chemicals; p]
“compile and publish relevant data resulting from the
performance of the functions of the agency under this decree or from
other sources; q]
“sponsor
such national and international conference as it may consider
appropriate; r]
“liaise
with relevant establishments within and outside s]
“carry
out such activities as are necessary or expedient for the performance of
its functions under this decree. Achievements Despite
my criticism against some of the method NAFADC is adopting in dealing
with drugs, it deserves some kudos in many areas. NAFDAC
created 6 zonal offices and 36 offices in the state of the federation,
confiscated many questionable drugs and destroyed them. It also carry
out some activities of enlightment to small and medium enterprises, for
instance, it teach them how to do the right thing, show them how to how
to register their businesses, products and make them operate legally,
let all stakeholders know the law governing their businesses and make
them understand the penalties that await those who go against the law;
and assist producers regularizes their operations. Such
activities make many drugs dealers surrendered many of the fake and
substandard drugs they posses which was very commendable so other people
in other businesses. NAFDAC
also held a summit with Indian authorities, which sensitize and convince
them to help NAFDAC
also held consultation with national and International stakeholders,
which lead them to receiving assistant and collaboration in the sectors
of training, equipment procurement and information sharing. Organization
consulted among others includes South African Medicines and Medical
devices Regulatory Agency [SAMMDRA], United State Food and Drugs Agency,
Economic and Occupational Health Services Institute [ECHSI] etc. NAFDAC
succeed in making most drugs registered with it which to some extent
confer such drugs immune from being faked, more so many also are in the
process of registering, this only make people now conscious of whatever
[food, drinks etc] they bought that they have to see NAFDAC's number. Recently
also, official signing of NAFDAC green page was done to ensure only
registered and reliable drugs were allowed to be used in our hospitals,
pharmacies and others. The director general of the agency Dr Akunyili
was quoted saying “….NAFDAC recent raids and subsequent closure of
the drugs section of the market in Sabon Gari, Kano, may not have arise
if a publication such as the NAFDAC green page was available, it will be
practically impossible for any marketer to claim ignorance of the
authenticity of the products they sell as they can easily check and
double-check all products and their sources”. Mr.
Ojo Sani, the director projects NAFDAC also added “with NAFDAC green
pages all stakeholders in the industry would have a legitimate common
grounds, where their products and services would be show-cased to
Nigerian and the world, through three media; the book form which will be
in volumes and yearly, compact disks and via internet”. The
most outstanding achievement it achieved which is unprecedented and is
being sabotaged by some segment of the Pharmacists is drug market
distribution model. The proposal was to establish Model Drug Mart in the
six geo-political zones of Nigeria, and the whole objectives is to
create an ordered network for the sale and distribution of wholesome
pharmaceutical products instead of the now chaotic markets we are using.
According to Abubakar Jimoh, the PRO of NAFCDAC “The concept is to
farm out an area that is exclusively provided for the wholesome
distribution of pharmaceuticals. This area will be securely delineated
with buildings that are customized for the wholesale of drugs. The
buildings or shops will be rented to accredited pharmaceutical
manufactures, importers and wholesalers. Entry into the area will be
restricted to duly licensed retailers and other health care
practitioners. These people will share common services and create the
ambience and convenience for one-stop shopping which is the major
attractive of the current unregulated open drugs markets”. In
addition, Jimoh added, “these building will have the relevant
infrastructural facilities to ensure adequate temperature storage
control which would safeguard the stability and shelf-life of the
products”. Jimoh
also in continuation of explanation of the Drug Mart which I will
continue quoting for more understanding of NAFDAC effort in this context
which as I said before, some segment of Pharmacist are objecting it, is,
“the new system being proposed will ensure that only registered and
authorized companies manufacture or import drugs, market drugs and that
drugs are stored under the best conditions which guarantee their
acclaimed shelf-lives”. “The system” he also added “will ensure
thorough inspection and enforcement, such that only registered
efficacious and safe drugs are manufactured or imported into the
country, and that such dugs reach the retailers and consumers only
through registered and regulated distributors who operate under the
purview of NAFDAC. The
individual stall must also by law be registered by Pharmacists Council
of Nigeria [PCN] and supervised by registered Pharmacist”. “That
is our DRUG MART concept” continued by Jimoh “and we believe
that it is an appropriately simple but fundamental way to deal with this
intractable problem. When these drug marts are in place, which will be
patronized by professional, managed by duly authorized people, and
located in the six geo-political zones of the country in the first
instance, we can then proceed to demobilize the existing unregulated
open markets through the following actions: a]
“Denial of pharmaceutical supplies as NAFDAC will ensure that
all manufacturers and importers supply only the official and regulated
drug marts or other approved variant. b]
“Denial of patronage by professionals and other authorized
agents, since there is now a proper alternative. When supply and demand
are denied such markets, they will automatically die natural deaths. c]
“[a] and [b] above will diminish the size and importance of the
existing illegal markets and will make it easier for NAFDAC and law
enforcement agencies to close down such markets. In such circumstances,
the social impact of the state and local government involved in the
exercise will be enhanced. d]
“Finally, NAFDAC has given the drug marts the name “Zonal
Drug Distribution Centre to avoid any misconception about a similarity
between the drug mart and the current chaotic drug market”. This
is drug mart concept which still remain mirage,
to me is the most outstanding
achievements of NAFDAC so far though still remain a mirage. Failures Despite
the achievement of NAFDAC, it failure seem to be more. Beside the problems
I cited in my earlier article as per registration of the drugs [which
may not necessarily
guarantee it from it being faked by others] there are others too. NAFDAC
has no power to prosecute all offenders connected with faking or manufacturing
of substandard drugs, anybody arrested with such activities and taken to
the court will not be prosecuted in shortest period. The case will be
dragged to adjournment for many years which at last either the case to
die natural death or something else. As at now, there are many pending
court cases, but no end in sight as to when they will be disposed up. For
instance, “in the record of NAFDAC” according to Budah “they have
cases over the years of people they have apprehended, of places and
where fake drugs are displayed, the records are there, the information
is available to them from different sources. What we are saying is that
NAFDAC should act, but they have started saying that they will appeal to
people’s conscience which is unfortunate” [emphasis mine]. NAFDAC
has no all the necessary equipments, professionals, funds etc to carry
out all its duties confer on it by law that established it. It is very
unfortunate that the state food and drugs control agency has no enough
equipments and work force to carry out every thing within it
jurisdiction of law. In
addition, the way NAFDAC is paying attention to drugs only neglecting
other foods, cosmetics, bottled/pure water [which recent studies by
NAFDAC showed that 97% of pure water is contaminated with microbes],
medical devices, the dangerous traditional herbal preparations and drugs
hawkers is not in order. All of them are potential weapons that can
dehumanize human lives, so paying attention to one direction will
achieve nothing; rather it will set back all the achievements so far
realized on drugs to zero level. The
insistence of NAFDAC to register all drugs at a time frame is improper,
some drugs are new into the country as such they have to be given time
before registering and that on its arrival they are good and quality,
but upon started circulation in the Nigerian markets [especially if the
drug[s] is profitable or less common] it will in the soonest be faked,
therefore registration should be continuous but with strict observation
not fixed to a particular time. “To
shorten registration as much as possible” according to Okpalafuaku,
The president Anambra State Association of Pharmaceuticals importers
“without compromising standard, NAFDAC has had to tax itself heavily.
For example NAFDAC laboratory staff members work up to “Had
NAFDAC gone ahead to implement the decision” of last December he added
“there would have been two major related crises in the Pharmacists
Council of Pharmacist
Council of Nigeria [PCN] is an established body according to law that
set it in charge of among others: a]
“determining the standard of knowledge and skill, to be
attained by persons seeking to become registered member of the pharmacy
profession and reviewing those standard from time to time as
circumstances may require; b]
“securing, in accordance with the provisions of this decree,
the establishment and maintenance of registers of person entitled to
practice as members of the profession and the publication, from time to
time, of list of those persons; c]
“reviewing and preparing from time to time, a statement as to
the code of conduct which the council considers desirable for the
practice of the pharmacy profession; d]
“regulating and controlling the practice of the profession in
all its aspects and ramifications; and e]
“performing such other function as may be required of the
council under this decree”. Achievements The
Pharmacist Council of Nigeria as a body charged with determining the
standard of knowledge and skill to be attained by person seeking to
become registered member of pharmacy profession, has tried in making
Pharmacy profession as distinct by making sure only registered member is
duly deserved to practice. It ensures that quack members [to some
extent] were given no room to practice as they are polluting the
profession and render it unprofessional. Failures The
council is not functioning as it is expected in determining who practice
pharmacy in Section
11 subsection A of PCN act stated who shall be entitled to be a
pharmacist, it said “such a person should be Nigerian citizen; is of
good character; and fit and proper; has attended a course of training
approved by the council, or the course was conducted at an institute
approve by the council; hold a qualification approved by the council;
and has undergone the statutory continuous internship training for not
less than one year under a registered pharmacist…..” Does
such person depicted above are the one in charge of the drugs section of
our market and other medical stores, no, they are not. Majority [with
few rare] of them are ignoramus of what drugs are in all ramifications
but only to sell and get profit. These people has taken Pharmacy
profession for granted as if it does not require any skills and training
before a person become a pharmacist, and the PCN is paying lip service
to the situation. For instance if you went to market and tell these
drugs sellers [most of them] that you are a pharmacist, they will not
even look at you or care about you, for they know they are dong what you
claim to be [even though untrained], so the respect they ought to show
to you is no where to be found. These people see themselves as
authorities because even the pharmacist it seems wittingly or
unwittingly surrendered their professional competency to them just to
make profit to their various companies. To
show how decadence pharmacy profession is in term of regulation, now
people prefer to go to the market[s] directly than pharmacies, so that
they can get affordable prices and others which in turn the drugs they
bought is either fake, expired or something bad or costlier than the
outside market. Recently a patient comes to me with a prescription of
Norfen tablet [a brand of Norfloxacin] and we do not have, he decided to
reach market to buy it, so, upon reaching the market and enquire about
it and he was instead given a Nurofen tablet [an analgesic] which
incidentally he returned back and showed it to me. I then told him that
the tablet he bought is entirely parallel with the one he was
prescribed, while the former was antibiotics the later was analgesic
[pain reliever], these kind of episodes do occur daily and the patient
do not know because they are after cheaper drugs [though it the socio
economic conditions of the country that forces them], nevertheless they
are being cheated in most cases with either expired or fake drugs. Another
example is somebody took his prescription to the market and met an Igbo
boy in a shop, he handover the prescription sheet to him, when the guy
read and re-read the paper and could not understand what was written, he
said “hey this doctor na yeye man, he no notin, shabi say
he no go school, which drug na this, bobbo make I change this for
you this na the correct one, this doctor no no drug”, and
the person accepted the Proposal of the guy ignorantly. In
reality the guy[the lgbo boy] does not know the drug in question talk
less of understanding the prescription, dose, strength to be given,
instead to cover his inadequacies and say he do not know he resort to
useless attack on the innocent doctor. So these kinds of episodes do
occur daily which leaves much to be desired but still PCN is dong
nothing to see that the image of the profession is regained, respected
and regarded. If you reach market, you will see the most unprofessional
dealing of drugs by these so-called market pharmacists who are claiming
they know drugs more than the pharmacist courtesy of their interaction
with drugs. If
these must continue their business, when will PCN see it necessary to
ensure they are train for not less than a year to know the basic
information pertaining drugs? Unless this is done, the abracadabra and
the contaminated desire of these people to get money in drugs business
are downgrading the image of pharmacy, for it seem it now all comer
affairs, hence the failure in curtailing the menace of fake drugs. Pharmaceutical
Companies Pharmaceutical
companies manufactured drugs and give it to distributors or move round
the pharmacies, various hospitals and other relevant institutions for
onward use. Achievements The
pharmaceutical companies that have representatives in different
locations are making their products accessible and reliable. In most
cases their product are not being faked always due to their vigilante
and surveillance in distributing their products. Failures The
problem or failure of pharmaceutical companies is that, instead for them
to patronized pharmacies, they will prefer to reach the open unregulated
market purposely to get money. The pharmacist [both of the companies and
the representatives] had compromise qualitative services to money and
profit making, while they know these people are not professional [though
that is how drugs is distributed in In
contrast, Mr. Wole Olanus, the chairman of Pharmaceutical Society of
Nigeria [PSN] Ondo state blamed the action wholly on drugs manufacturers
to flooding the markets with fake drugs. According to him, many of the
drug manufacturers sell their products directly to the highest bidder
irrespective of whom the buyer is and the premises through which the
products are re-redistributed. He
said “The distributor[s] who in most cases is [are] not pharmacist in
turn sells any drug to just anybody who brings money in order to
increase his sales volume, meet his banker’s obligation and impress
his manufacturers who at the end of the year may give out various gift
including car and others” [emphasis mine]. Drugs
Dealers Drugs
dealers in the markets represent some manufacturers and other sole
agents’ selling drugs, they are ether literate or illiterate, educated
[but not in health related fields]. Achievements They
are serving as wholesalers between the pharmaceutical shops, chemist and
other medical stores. They distribute also or sale various drugs of the
companies they collected to others for sale. Failure They
do join hand with medical representatives to either hoard drug[s or
increase prices unnoticed. Customs Customs
are the responsible agents for allowing what should be imported in to
the country or will be exported outside the country. They are vigilante
in all the various boarder of the country checking to ensure law of the
land is maintain as per in and out of the country [drugs, food etc
inclusive]. Achievements They
are helping NAFDAC in confiscating drugs that have questionable sources,
or are either fake or those not allowed to be imported into the country
without permission. They are also easing NAFDAC in other ways to ensure
that everything goes accordingly so that the public health of the nation
be safeguarded. Failures They
are colliding with drugs dealers by allowing them to bring substandard
products despite their security and check up. Is it they are corrupted
or they too are part of the
business is uncertain. However, whatever is the answer, they are a
failure in that direction [though sometime they cannot go beyond certain
limit, as they will be ordered ‘from the above’ to do what is
against the law], which is unfortunate. Environmental
Health Officers These
are professional preventive health practitioners charge with the control
of waste, food hygiene, housing and environmental planning, pollution
control, diseases vectors control and others. The essence of including
them is because they have the power to enter any premises to ascertain
whether nuisances exist and their power to inspect food [drugs, drinks
inclusive] exposed for sale. What I meant is that, in relation to power
to enter into any premises, according to Northern Nigeria Public Health
Edict CAP 109 section 11 subsection 1a “it shall be lawful for the
health officer to enter any premises at any time between the hours of
six in the morning and six in the evening for the purpose of examining
as to the existence there on of any nuisance….”. This nuisance is
“any act, omission, place or thing, which is, or may be dangerous to
life, or injurious to health or property”, and it can be
police/public/common law nuisances, statutory nuisances, summarily
abatable nuisances, structural nuisances, health nuisances or sanitary
nuisances. Our
main concern here is health nuisances, which fake drugs and other drinks
if allowed to be consuming, will cause a devastating effect to the
consumer’s health. So the EHO’s power is to ascertain in any
premises [be it pharmaceutical premises or wherever nuisances exist] he
deem fit necessary and take appropriate action. Also,
section 14 empowered that “the health officer may at all reasonable
hours, inspect any carcass, meat, poultry, game, fish, vegetables, corn,
breed, flour, or other provisions exposed for sale or deposited in any
place for the purpose of sale or of preparation for sale and intended
for the food of man…”. So in this context “other provisions
exposed for sale or deposited in any place for the purpose of sale…”
include drugs food, bottled water and all other items NAFDAC is charged
to oversee, hence the role of EHO cannot be overemphasized, infact, they
have to be integrated in its activities, for it will reduced the work
load NAFDAC staff are undergoing. Achievements As
at now we cannot say this is their contribution for two reasons, one,
their activities is no longer appreciated and given high regard talk
less of empowering them in all they needed coupled with the corrupt mind
of some of them who collide with perpetrators of offence to cover them
and in return they will be given bribe, two, NAFDAC seem to be one man
show by not incorporating them into its activities which they have full
professional competency in the area related to their profession. Therefore,
Environmental health practitioners ought to be reform in tune with the
reality of Nigerian situation if the objectives of NAFDAC are to be
achieved. Failures They
are not doing as expected due to their inadequate number in the country,
in addition to lack of equipment, motivation, retraining and other
things that will encourage them to work efficiently, hence the failure
of NAFDAC in helping it appropriately. General
comment Having
seen the roles of the above bodies on how they are playing roles in the
control and distribution of drugs, I will now to talk on fake drugs.
“When we talk on Fake drugs” according to Ahmed Ibrahim a former
deputy president of the PSN “it is either there is no active
ingredient at all or it has very little of it [in the drug]. Actually,
fake drugs are the umbrella name for all the others. With substandard
drugs, it is possible there is little active ingredient in them, while
the cloned ones may have all the ingredients but they are not the
original makers of the products of a reputable pharmaceutical company,
take to India or the far east and make exactly the same kind of drugs
and brings them back to sell as products of that reputable company. That
is cloning. In adulterated, you have two litres of syrup but somebody
will dilute it to ten litres of that syrup or use other things to
contaminate it, or sometimes they buy cheaper chemicals to produce such
drugs. All come under fake drugs”. Therefore,
how does fake drugs come to the country despite the availability if
customs and others? According to Prof Okhamafe Augustine of University
of Benin, the reasons for the helplessness of fake drugs are organic due
to the porous nature of our national boarders, ineffective monitoring at
the port and the element of corruption. He also added, “most of the
drugs imported in to this country are imported by non pharmacist or
people who are not trained. They are simply interested in importing
drugs just because of the gains in them”. In
another perspectives, Prof Okhamafe said also our “our businessmen go
there and say we want a particular drug, but we do not want it to
contain what it should contain or where it should contain 100mg, just
put 20mg. In appearance, the packaging, the leaflets look the same, but
they are substandard”. It also seems that the effect of these fake
drugs is being underestimated by both health authorities and at
individuals’ levels. According to Lere Baale, “the implication” of
fake drugs is “enormous. I always tell people that fake drugs are
synonymous with silent killers, because the people are taking these
drugs to cure a disease which ultimately will not be cured but will
instead worsen it…..imagine a patient given antibiotic, and when
analysis is done on the drug, it is discovered that it does not contain
any active ingredient. I therefore strongly suggest that those who deal
in these fake drugs should be treated as killers and punished
accordingly”. After
importation of drugs [both good and the fake], by far the greatest to
the replication of fake drugs is the explosion of unregistered outlet
for their sales. It has been observed that in Lagos within the period
PCN is without board, over 45,000 unregistered outlets emerged which is
common scenario nowadays even-though PCN is now under full control. To
show how this issue of fake drugs becomes confusing is the statement of
Yaro Budah that “even the professional pharmacist or doctor, even the
original manufacturer cannot tell these drugs apart. We have
demonstrated this over and over. I remember as far back as November
2000, we went to see president Olusegun Obasanjo and we actually
demonstrated this problem at the Aso rock Villa, where we took genuine
products with their fake counterparts and he could not tell them apart.
We dramatized it for him to see and he said to quote him, that people
who bought fake drugs were foolish, which meant that indeed he too could
be foolish”. Therefore,
the case of fake drugs is beyond imagination as the situation is
becoming intractable daily and the responsible authorities are either
handcuffed because according to Okhamafe “it is very difficult to
enforce laws regulating drugs circulation in Though
the PSN has advised NAFDAC to shut down unregistered premises through
enforcement of federal task force under decree 25 of 1999, which is on
counterfeit, fake drugs and unwholesome processed food and stipulates
penalties for those found guilty of faking or counterfeit drugs, still
nothing was achieved since. The
way out Government/NAFDAC Government
must allow NAFDAC [without interference] to carry out its activities
with neither fear nor favour on whoever was caught in the business of
manufacturing or importing fake drugs. The
open unregulated market must be closed down throughout the federation [a
change from my earlier stand] so that the people affected can be
incorporated in to the proposed drugs mart model instead of allowing
then to be out of business .
Hence, “the issue of wiping out the drugs markets as we have”
according to Rosemary Nikoro “in Idumota, Ariaria, market in Aba etc
is a question of policy, it is a question of will of the government. If
the same government can put a ban on the importation of second hand air
conditioners or compressors, and the list of other things, and that same
government can’t look into what the society is asking in the area of
wiping out illegal drugs markets, it is a quite a pathetic situation
because the whole of the environment can be wiped out through a fake and
dangerous product that is brought into the country, so it is not for any
professional gains per say that the society has been advocating the
closure of the market, it is just for the environment. There
is the need according to Okpalafuluaku “to institute regular policy
dialogue between government agencies and other key stakeholders
included, apart from NAFDAC, indigenous manufacturers and drugs
importers. It will therefore be appropriate for NAFDAC to hold meeting,
say every quarter with all stakeholder on government policies before
they are adopted”. The
government must do everything to see that NAFDAC get rid of all
questionable drugs, food, bottled water, chemicals, medical devices etc
if the objectives of fighting drugs is to be achieved. The
element of Bias should be stop, for I know a person who is a Hausa man
but spent over two years looking for his drugs to be registered but did
not get it, while many Ibos and Yoruba’s that comes after him got
their own with out much hitch. The
Pharmacist The
pharmacist according to Prof Okhamafe are of the view that the first
step to be taken by government to ensure only genuine, reliable and
dependable drugs are imported is to designate only two ports of entry
for drugs importation. The
PCN must checkmate the proliferation of patent medicine stores without
fulfilling the provision of law. Some stores are full provisions but you
will see drugs inserted in the shops, so there is need to regulate such.
It should also make sure that all those who are selling, dispensing and
prescribing drugs in either chemists, pharmacies and others to at least
[if they are neither pharmacist nor health professionals] to have
knowledge no matter how small on drugs before they will be allowed to
continue business. Journalists The
journalist have a bigger roles in sensitizing the public and others in
the dangers of fake drugs to our health, and informing the government
whether or not its
policies have loopholes so that appropriate action be taken. Journalist
should know that they are the shapers of the society to whichever side
[government inclusive], so they have a great role in this crusade
against fake drugs, foods etc. The
drugs importers Drugs
importers should stick to importing only the drugs that registered with
NAFDAC that will be published in the new green pages. If any drugs that
did not register with NAFDAC must be imported [especially those that
have no representatives in the country], the importers [they know
themselves] should join hand and register those particular drugs, so
that whoever want import them ,it if he is not part of them [that took
the responsibility of registering it], he must register with them. This
mean they will be like the owners of the drugs courtesy of the register,
since many important drugs are not yet registered and they have no
registered alternatives and yet they do not have representatives in the
country, and also they are equally very important.. Others Everybody
has role to play irrespective of his status in joining hands with
appropriate authorities to end the circulation of fake drugs, food etc
in the Nigerian market. Wherever you see something questionable, you can
report it the appropriate authorities for appropriate action. Therefore,
this fight against fake drugs is not the action of NAFDAC alone, it need
multisectoral approach [both formal and informal] for holistic and
comprehensive achievements of the objectives of making Nigeria a better
environment for all aspect of drugs dealing so you are expected to do
something. Last
word I
am neither a pharmacist nor a medical doctor, but an interested health
practitioner [a public health technologist who want see the Nigerian
drugs situation is safeguarded with reliable, dependable, qualitative
and tested drugs, and also as a stakeholder in public health] who found
himself in pharmacy as a pharmacy assistant, and my comment may not be
necessarily reflect the view of pharmacists and others, therefore, it my
own opinion based on how I see them. In
addition, whatever is my fault it is limited to my knowledge on whatever
I discussed. Corrigendum
In
my article posted on this website titled “ Environmental Health in
Nigeria, ………”, I inadvertently said “The position of
Environmental Health Officers in Primary Health Care [PHC] has been
hijacked by medical health practitioners [Most especially medical
doctors], whom their professional orientation centred wholly on curative
health, thus they are not giving any attention to the preventive aspect
of health due to their poor knowledge on environmental health. They now
dictate where the pendulum of the PHC will swing by hijacking every
thing whether or not it is within the profession, for they do not
separate their duty with those of other profession”. The
statement could have included others like community health officers,
nurses and others in the bracket who hijacked the roles of EHO’s. I
was accused by being selfish to cite only a medical doctor. I am also
very sorry to those who feel bad over using the word ‘poor’ in
relation to limited knowledge of doctors in environmental health. My
point is just to show the disparity between them [doctors] who study
environmental health as subject and those who studied it as a course of
study. Therefore, to those who were not happy over what I said should
forgive me, but they should know I only raised a fact. References 1
Weekly Trust 2
Weekly Trust 3
Pharmacy and Drugs law in 4
The Nigerian Journal of Pharmacy, Vol 34, April-June 2003 5
The Daily 6
The Punch 7
Daily Trust 8
Northern 9
Everyday Newspaper July 26- 10
Daily Trust 11
New Age |