From Abel Leonard, Lafia
Dr Obi Peter Adigwe, Director General, National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD) has harped on the importance of buying Made-in-Nigeria medicines in diversifying Nigeria’s economy.
He made this known in an interview with Daily Sun on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of a weeklong conference of pharmacists taking place in Lafia on Tuesday.
Adigwe said buying Made-in-Nigeria medicines represents one of the quickest and surest ways to expedite the development and diversification of Nigeria’s economy through job creation, revenue generation and the easiest access to healthcare service delivery for the citizenry.
“Buying Made-in-Nigeria’s medicines gives better access to healthcare but at the same time, buying Made-in-Nigeria’s medicines means that we are keeping 170 factories open.
“That’s 170 factories employing thousands of Nigerians and maintaining millions of families. So you have the technology transfer. You have the capacity building, you have the revenue generation and then you have the job creation,” he said.
He opined that the pharmaceutical sector given its potential for the development of Nigeria’s economy and the well-being of citizens deserves the highest priority from the government, philanthropists, development partners and the private sector for Nigeria to move forward.
In his speech delivered at the ceremony, Mr Ibrahim Ahmed, Registrar, Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) also advocated for the prioritization of Made-in-Nigeria medicines and lauded pharmacists for the critical role they played during the height of the Coronavirus pandemic via the manufacturing of locally-made hand sanitisers among others.
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“I would implore us that as we gather in our national and international meetings and conferences, let us brainstorm on creative strategies and approaches that would support the pharmacists expanded role in the healthcare system,” he said.
Mr Olabode Ogunjemiyo, National Chairman of the AHAPN in his speech said the theme of the conference was carefully chosen to reflect the need for an expanded role of the health system pharmacist in Nigeria’s health sector.
He appreciated the participants for taking out time to attend the conference and sponsors and the Nasarawa state government for making it possible for the conference to hold in Nasarawa state.
“In the spirit of recognizing our sponsors, three pharmaceutical companies will be given awards during this ceremony for their immense contribution to the growth of our association. They are Emzor Pharmaceuticals, Philips Pharmaceuticals and Godson Healthcare,” he said.
In his welcome address, Mr Luka Augustine, Chairman of AHAPN in Nasarawa state appreciated the association for holding the annual conference in the state and assured that a long list of interesting activities has been put in place for participants to ensure they have a long-lasting impression at the end of the conference.
Daily Sun reports that the Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists of Nigeria (AHAPN) is holding its 23rd Annual National Scientific Conference holding in Lafia from August 1st to August 5th with the theme “COVID-19 Experience: Expanding the role of health system pharmacists.”
Pharmacists across the country from the ranks and file within the Hospital and Administrative positions and those from the other areas of pharmacy practice are expected to be in attendance.