The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria has decried exemption from the recent fund by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to pharmaceutical manufacturers and health care practitioners to mitigate the adverse effect of the COVID -19.
National Chairman of the association, Samuel Adekoya, who barred his mind in Lagos, noted that there was no tangible reason why community pharmacists, who are the front line health workers in this scenario should not be recognised and shortlisted to benefit from the palliative.
He noted that the community pharmacists have been on the news for different allegations since the outbreak of this virus.
“There have been allegations from various quarters including government that we hiked the prices of sanitisers and also profiteering from face masks. But this is not true, it’s what we buy from importers that we sell to the public; if there is a hike in price, then it is from the manufacturers and importers not community pharmacists.”
Adekoya, who complained of not being recognised for the role the pharmacists play in communities and the society as a whole, decried that when the list of names to benefit from the CBN intervention fund was rolled out, “we were conspicuously exempted, which is not done in developed climes. The community pharmacist are first given recognition,and taken care of in developed countries, they are provided with gloves, masks, overall and complete kit, because they deal directly with patients. But in Nigeria, we don’t see such.”
He said due to the scarcity of sanitisers, the community pharmacists intervened and partnered with a manufacturer to produce for them in a considerable price.
“So, right now, the goods are out there in a controlled price from May and Baker, we don’t want people to take undue advantage of the situation. The 100ml sanitiser should be sold for #600, and that is so because we intervened.