PAUL OMOKUVIE BAUCHI
No fewer than 565 patent medicine stores and six pharmacies in Bauchi State have been sealed by the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria.
This was disclosed by the Council’s Director, Inspection and Monitoring, Mrs Antonia Aruya, on Friday, at a press conference held at its Zonal Office, Bauchi.
Aruya explained that the patent medicines stores and pharmacies were sealed when the council carried out enforcement exercise in the state.
She disclosed that 13 premises were issued compliance directive for various offences.
The offences ranged from poor handling of controlled substances, sales and dispensing of ethical or prescription drugs without supervision of pharmacists, unhygienic environment, poor documentation among others.
“A good number of stakeholders were found to have started operating without following laid down guidelines for those intending or engage in handling of pharmacuticals or sale of medicines to the public,” she said.
“Others could not read or write in English, a situation that portends great danger to tell patient”
She said the enforcement activity in Bauchi was in fulfilment of the council mandate in PCN ACT Cap 17, LFN, 2005 and also in line with the National Drugs Distribution of the Federal Government (NDDG)
“Any premises found selling above their scope of operation such as sale of dispensing of ethical products without the presence of superintendent pharmacists or handling of controlled medicines by none pharmacists is operating in violation of the law,” she said.
The Director advised members of the public to always ask for the registration status of facilities where they access their medicines by requesting for current licenses issued by the council.