The Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN), Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), in collaboration with PharmAccess Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation that provides access to funding, and other stakeholders in the healthcare value chain have launched the Pharmacy Framework Manual to strengthen the value chain of the pharmaceutical industry by stimulating stronger regulation and providing access to affordable capital.
The framework, which was launched in Lagos recently, is expected to address the inadequate access to affordable capital for the procurement of pharmaceutical products at the last mile service delivery points that has posed a major challenge to the health sector particularly in rural and hard to reach areas where many of the low income earners live and work.
The Registrar, Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN), Elijah Mohammed, in his remarks said the framework is the outcome of PCN’s partnership with other stakeholders in the sector.
According to Mohammed, the partnership is borne out of the need to ensure adequate provision of equitable and sustainable access to life-saving medicines within the healthcare system, as enshrined in the National Drug Policy.
“The development of the framework was with the collaboration of relevant stakeholders and contents are in alignment with the policies and guidelines for the regulation of Community Pharmacists, Patent and Proprietary Medicines Vendors, Manufacturers, Importers and Wholesalers.
“The framework provides opportunities that would enable Community Pharmacists and Patent and Proprietary Medicines Vendors to increase the scope and quality of their services through the provision of affordable financing and increased oversight,†said Mohammed.
The Registrar stated that the framework would create an enabling environment for the upcoming peer supervision and hub and spoke model, reduce the incidence of fake, counterfeit and substandard drugs, thereby paving the way for the development of an effective pricing policy within the pharmaceutical sector.
The Country Director, PharmAccess Foundation, Ms. Njide Ndili, in her remarks said the framework would integrate capacity building of all participants in order to ensure delivery of quality services, particularly in the underserved sectors of the country.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, in a keynote address said professional groups in the health sector must work together to ensure better healthcare delivery service in Nigeria.
Idris opined that issues of governance are key factors in healthcare deliverables, stating that healthcare system in Nigeria is currently in chaos. “Without access, healthcare delivery will not be possible; stakeholders must see healthcare as a security issue and should consider how to link bio-security to public health,†said Idris.
Under the framework, loans would be provided by the Medical Credit Fund (MCF) and would be disbursed through banks in partnership with the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) to community pharmacists and patent medicine stores.
The framework contains the oversight and flow of funds, detailing how pharmacists and patent medicine stores would be regulated, while the flow of funds deals with the disbursement of loans in the sector under the scheme.
