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Furore Over Doctor Of Pharmacy Degree In Nigerian Universities. by adeoladrg(m): 12:12am On Jun 29, 2014 |
The recent turn around by the National Universities Commission (NUC) over the approval of the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D) programme as a first degree for pharmacy students in Nigerian universities is generating a lot of controversy as pharmacists under the aegis of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) and the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) kick. TRADITIONALLY, the primary responsibility of the pharmacist was the safe and accurate dispensing of drugs prescribed by the physician. Today, pharmacists are involved in the clinical care of their patients. Indeed, to face the challenges in the practice of pharmacy in Nigeria and abroad, pharmacists have to be equipped with not only the knowledge, but also the skills, attitudes and values required to deliver high quality, consistent and safe treatments to patients in collaboration with other health care professionals. A Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) is a professional doctor degree in pharmacy. In some countries, it is a first professional degree, and a prerequisite for licensing to exercise the profession of Pharmacy. Pharm. D, a six-year first degree programme, was borne out of the need for the Pharmacy graduate to meet the ever-changing demand in disease condition and be able to compete with their counterpart. The Pharm. D has deep clinical content for Pharmacists to be more proficient in therapeutic drug monitoring, drug interaction where interaction with physician is critical for optimum outcome of therapy for the benefit of the patient health. The primary objective of the Pharm.D programme is to train pharmacy practitioners to possess leadership qualities, advanced expertise and clinical experience that enable them to be at the forefront of the pharmacy profession and health care in a variety of settings - institutional, community practice, government, academia, industry, translational research and drug development. Little wonder that the National Universities Commission (NUC) in 2007 approved the Pharm.D programme for Nigerian universities. It all began in January 2007 with an NUC stakeholders’ workshop on Pharm.D degree programme. The workshop was intended to chart the future direction of pharmacy education in Nigeria. However, the NUC in a letter with Reference number NUC/DQA/66 of April 10, 2007 addressed to the Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities and titled, ‘Approval for the award of Pharm. D degree option, directed: “Consequently, Universities that are interested in establishing the programme are by this letter requested to make a formal application to that effect to the NUC using the approved format.” Consequently, the University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State, became the first institution offering the Pharm.D degree, which commenced in 2001. It is a six-year undergraduate programme. Prior to the commencement of the programme, the university offered a five-year Bachelor of Pharmacy (B.Pharm) degree programme, which commenced in 1970 but was gradually phased out in 2008. In the Pharm.D programme, students are given extensive didactic preclinical/professional clinical preparation as well as clinical training in pharmaceutical care in various hospitals in the city. The government regulatory agency for pharmacy education, training and practice, the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN), and the national professional body of pharmacists, the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), has envisaged that in the near future, Pharm.D degree will become the minimum educational qualification for fresh graduates of Nigeria’s pharmacy schools to be registered/licensed to practice in the country. The Pharm.D programme is also a standard practice in so many countries all over the world including; Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Tunisia, Algeria, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Philippines, Thailand, Bangladesh, Czech Republic, Slovakia, France, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Canada, United States, Brazil and Chile. Currently, Pharm.D is a six to seven year course being offered in Ghana, which started in the academic year 2012/2013 notably by the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology leading to the award of doctor of pharmacy and a pharmacist licensure to operate. The University of Nairobi offers a six-eight year Pharmacist education programme. During the first four years, students focus on studying Pharmaceutical science. The last two years are considered clinical residency in which students practice clinical pharmacy at various hospitals and community pharmacies before they graduate. However, NUC seems to have made a swift turn around. The NUC in an advertorial titled, “Public Notice on Pharm. D Programme in Nigerian Universities”, in the Daily Trust of Friday, May 30, 2014, wrote: “The NUC hereby draws the attention of Nigerian Universities, and the general public to the fact that the Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm. D) Degree, as a first degree for Pharmacy students, is not approved. The approved first degree for pharmacy students in Nigeria Universities is the Bachelor of Pharmacy (B.Pharm). “Universities offering the Pharm.D degree programme should, in their own interest, graduate their students with B.Pharm degree as earlier directed and ceased further admission into the Pharm.D programme. “While the stakeholders’ Workshop on Pharm. D, held in January 2007, was an important consultative workshop to chart the future direction for Pharmacy Programme in Nigerian Universities; the resolutions reached at the workshop were not approvals by NUC for the commencement of the Pharm.D programme in the Nigerian University System. “The general public is by this announcement advised to avoid subscribing to the Pharm. D Programme of any Nigerian University.” But the PSN President, Olumide Akintayo, said the NUC has not cancelled the Pharm.D programme but rather has withdrawn its accreditation of the programme in UniBen because the University refused to answer a query from NUC dated January 2014. Akintayo said: “I will be bold and honest to admit there were problems. Incidentally, these problems were in-house to a large extent especially from some of our universities. I must thank the very pro-active management of NUC for doing its job professionally and identifying the grains of sand in our shoes before it would have degenerated to an irredeemable calamity. “Having said this we are working to redress the dimensions of drawbacks to put in place a format that is procedurally acceptable to the NUC. “We therefore appeal to the Executive Secretary of the NUC to use his good office to facilitate speedy actualisation of Pharm.D programme in Nigerian Universities. It is also imperative that I strongly appeal to all members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to speedily approve the Benchmark Minimum Academic Standards (BMAS) of this programme which is pending for their adoption.” Akintayo said the Pharm.D Programme does not seek to take anything away from any other health related discipline neither is it in conflict with any of the health disciplines, rather it complements the roles of the healthcare team members and provides a wide window of opportunities that can best communicate the new values, philosophy and vision of the profession. Chairman PCN, Mr. Bruno Nwankwo, in his remarks on Pharm.D programme during a courtesy call on the Executive Secretary of NUC, Prof. Julius Amioba Okojie, on Friday June 13, 2014, said: “As a regulatory body established by Act 91 of 1992 (now Cap P17, LFN, 2004) and charged with the responsibility of regulating and controlling pharmacy education, training and practice in all aspects and ramifications in this country, the Council considers it proper to make representation to the NUC on the issue. “… It is instructive to note that the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Benin, Benin City complied with the PCN directive and has since commenced the programme whilst the PCN has formally communicated to the NUC to enquire for update on Pharm.D programme. “Furthermore in December 2007, an NUC Resource Verification visit to the University of Benin took place and the institution was informed of additional resources that need to be put in place for Pharm.D programme. The PCN Chairman said the need to administer Pharm.D programme in Nigerian Universities became necessary for several reasons: * Internationally, because of the changing roles of the Pharmacist, the Federation of International Pharmacists (FIP) had since directed that Pharm.D programme should be the minimum registrable qualification to practice Pharmacy *The West African Health Organization (WAHO) held meetings involving teachers and practitioners of Pharmacy, Medicine and Nursing as well as their regulatory bodies (including those from Nigeria) and recommended to the WAHO Council of Ministers that Pharm. D degree should replace the B Pharm. Degree in the Universities in the West African Region, both Anglophone and Francophone countries; *The importance the World Health Organization (WHO) attaches to the role of the Pharmacist in healthcare gave birth to the famous resolution of the 47th World Health Assembly (WHA 47:12) held on the 10th of May, 1994 and titled “Role of the Pharmacist in support of the WHO revised drug strategy”. The resolution further recognized the need to place premium on re-orientation of pharmacists through training modalities to properly position them for emerging roles in public health and particularly in the field of medicines. Nwankwo said the changing roles of pharmacists have benefited several countries that have adopted Pharm. D degree in healthcare services improvement and the quality of lives of patients. He further explained: “This is because Pharm.D programme emphasizes the patient rather than the product as the focus of the service. Hence, in such scenario, the pharmacist is physically present and professionally active to contribute to the positive outcomes of drug therapy. In addition, he is able to save drug costs and to avoid unnecessary wastages because of his intervention at the right time before drug administration. “After drug administration, he also monitors the action of the drug and the response of the patient as well as making necessary interventions to minimize drug-related problems. None of these roles encroach on roles of other healthcare practitioners, including medical doctors.” Nwankwo thanked the NUC Executive Secretary for his usual positive disposition to the course of pharmacy education in Nigeria and appealed that he uses his good office to facilitate speedy actualization of the Pharm.D programme in Nigerian Universities. Former PSN President, Mr. Anthony Akhimien, told The Guardian: “It should be noted that on announcement of the approval of Pham D in Nigerian Universities, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and their Private Medical Practitioners Group put up a protest that the approval was going to encroach into their practice. The matter stretched into the public court through an interesting debate. A publication by the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria and the positive response by the National Universities Commission (NUC) in the print and electronic media that Pharm.D is the norm as a first degree programme in most past of the World put the matter to rest. “In 2008, All the Deans of Faculties of Pharmacy in Nigerian Universities, President, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigerian, Registrar and Chairman of PCN, Representative of National Universities Commission (NUC) in the person of Prof. Bicchi and a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Prof. Eferikaya went on a study tour of some Schools of Pharmacy in the United States of America (Atlanta) with focus on Pharm.D programme. “The resolution at the end of the tour was that most of the Faculties of Pharmacy in Nigerian Universities will commence Pharm.D programme in 2008/2009 academic session. Some Nigerian Pharmacists in the US who had retired were to come to Nigeria to assist in the smooth takeoff of the programme. Nigerian Association of Pharmacists and Pharmaceutical Scientists in Americas (NAPPSA) were supposed to facilitate this process. Various attempts were made but the leadership of PCN and the betrayal of some of the Deans did not help matters.” Akhimien said the Pharm.D programme is meant to enable pharmacists play more clinical roles, provide and enhance more patient oriented pharmaceutical services to be able to meet the increasing needs of patients as medication is becoming risky with many drug products emerging daily. He further explained: “In the 21st century, healthcare services has become a multi- professional and multi-dimensional approach in nature whereby the patient is at the center of which each professional services revolves round. Expertise on drug and drug matters in this scheme can only be render by pharmacists for the benefit of the patient. ” “The common perception that the Pharm. D holder finds employment in Hospital practice only is not correct. The Pharm.D programme thus produces a more proficient Pharmacist both in the area of clinical trials, health education promotion, field surveys, therapeutic drug monitoring, drug- drug, drug-food and drug disease interaction profiles, thus establishing better working relationship with physicians and other healthcare providers for optimum outcome of therapy. “The attempt to give the impression that Pharmacists want to bear appellation of ‘Dr’ is laughable but laden with abysmal ignorance. Pharmacists including Nigerians who have undergone similar training programme in the United States and other countries in Europe comparable to this programme are awarded Pharm. D degree and bear the title ‘Dr’. Nigerians who successfully completed such pharmacy degree programmes in those countries have always been addressed as ‘Doctors’. One may also add that some professions like optometry have made similar improvements in their educational programmes and their enhanced graduates are addressed as ‘Dr’, thus the title ‘Dr’ for the Pharm.D graduates is merely inline with internationally recognized practice. www.ngrguardiannews.com/features/focus/167948-furore-over-doctor-of-pharmacy-degree-in-nigerian-varsities 6 Likes |
Re: Furore Over Doctor Of Pharmacy Degree In Nigerian Universities. by Nobody: 3:48am On Jun 29, 2014 |
nigeria doesn encourange them now.... I wont blamed them if most of them are taking care of there clinic.... How many company produce drug in nigeria?..... If u spend so much years in school without work wont you find something to lay your hand on..... After there pharm.D and B.pharm some will still come back and sit down at home... Where is the work self... Thats why most of them ran away from home. |
Re: Furore Over Doctor Of Pharmacy Degree In Nigerian Universities. by obayaya(m): 3:50am On Jun 29, 2014 |
6 years program? What's the major difference between the Pharm.D and B.Pharm degrees. Or do we just wanna do because other countries are doing? 6 Likes |
Re: Furore Over Doctor Of Pharmacy Degree In Nigerian Universities. by Nobody: 3:58am On Jun 29, 2014 |
obayaya: 6 years program? Obviously you didn't read the article. You represent everything wrong with Nigeria and a contributor to the downfall of this country. 43 Likes |
Re: Furore Over Doctor Of Pharmacy Degree In Nigerian Universities. by gbaskiboy: 4:20am On Jun 29, 2014 |
ok noted |
Re: Furore Over Doctor Of Pharmacy Degree In Nigerian Universities. by dejust(m): 4:23am On Jun 29, 2014 |
The politics should be put asides are a lot challenges and inadequacies in Nigerian health sectors. This calls for support for any improvement on any of the sectors. |
Re: Furore Over Doctor Of Pharmacy Degree In Nigerian Universities. by Jarchi(m): 4:32am On Jun 29, 2014 |
Na dem sabi. Na make me and my family no sick |
Re: Furore Over Doctor Of Pharmacy Degree In Nigerian Universities. by obayaya(m): 4:48am On Jun 29, 2014 |
Knowledge9000: Will you just shut up your dirty mouth. B.Pharm is a 5 years program with 1 year housemanship. What difference will a 6 year program that includes 4 years basic pharmaceutical studies and 2 years so called clinical training make. The truth is that Nigeria like copying things without proper review and appraisals. Will the Pharm.D certificate make our pharmacists better? Or is it just some desperate attempt to be like every other person else? That's the question my post you quoted raised. but you were too _stupid to understand. 51 Likes |
Re: Furore Over Doctor Of Pharmacy Degree In Nigerian Universities. by brainpulse: 4:53am On Jun 29, 2014 |
Knowledge9000:He has a point that obviously you do not see 17 Likes |
Re: Furore Over Doctor Of Pharmacy Degree In Nigerian Universities. by 1stola: 4:53am On Jun 29, 2014 |
ok |
Re: Furore Over Doctor Of Pharmacy Degree In Nigerian Universities. by Pavore9: 5:03am On Jun 29, 2014 |
hmm.. |
Re: Furore Over Doctor Of Pharmacy Degree In Nigerian Universities. by BlackSwan: 5:06am On Jun 29, 2014 |
obayaya:It's really funny isn't it? Hardly any mention was made of how they plan to improve standards to that of other countries doing PharmD apart from saying they want to bring in retired pharmacists from other countries to teach Nigerian students, they want to upgrade their degrees but are barely saying anything about upgrading the faculties that give the degrees. Pharmacy students if you like kill yourselves with anger because I made a critisism. 8 Likes 1 Share |
Re: Furore Over Doctor Of Pharmacy Degree In Nigerian Universities. by Mentcee(m): 5:08am On Jun 29, 2014 |
Nice |
Re: Furore Over Doctor Of Pharmacy Degree In Nigerian Universities. by englishmart(m): 5:08am On Jun 29, 2014 |
Is there any way I can be of help here? 1 Like |
Re: Furore Over Doctor Of Pharmacy Degree In Nigerian Universities. by drealdoc89(m): 5:11am On Jun 29, 2014 |
obayaya:Yes,it will make our Pharmacist better making them shift their focus from the products(drugs) unto the patients. It also seeks to create a better professional relationship with other health care professionals towards improving patient's quality of life....this is but a few advantage. 1 Like |
Re: Furore Over Doctor Of Pharmacy Degree In Nigerian Universities. by obayaya(m): 5:17am On Jun 29, 2014 |
Black Swan: And what they didn't tell us is that the USA still have the B.Pharm degree too which is even more popular than the Pharm.D degree which is a professional/post graduate degree of some sort. 1 Like |
Re: Furore Over Doctor Of Pharmacy Degree In Nigerian Universities. by obayaya(m): 5:17am On Jun 29, 2014 |
drealdoc89: Yes,it will make our Pharmacist better making them shift their focus from the products(drugs) unto the patients. It also seeks to create a better professional relationship with other health care professionals towards improving patient's quality of life....this is but a few advantage. And the emphasis of the B.Pharm is on the product? Really? All the courses in the the medical sciences and pharmaceutical sciences was designed with emphasis on the patients. It has always been the patients. |
Re: Furore Over Doctor Of Pharmacy Degree In Nigerian Universities. by theplanmaker: 5:22am On Jun 29, 2014 |
I smell the hand of bad bad belle NMA in this 6 Likes 1 Share |
Re: Furore Over Doctor Of Pharmacy Degree In Nigerian Universities. by Dygeasy(m): 5:24am On Jun 29, 2014 |
obayaya:lol! |
Re: Furore Over Doctor Of Pharmacy Degree In Nigerian Universities. by BlackSwan: 5:30am On Jun 29, 2014 |
obayaya:Ha! Isn't it obvious that the desire to be called 'Doctors' is a huge driving force behind this development? PharmD in other countries is like a post graduate degree but the Nigerian case is different. PharmD in Nigeria is first degree . 8 Likes |
Re: Furore Over Doctor Of Pharmacy Degree In Nigerian Universities. by drkay(m): 5:31am On Jun 29, 2014 |
It's nt a bad idea to upgrade their training to pharm.D but I think we should be focused on standardising the B.pharm training first before talking abt going a step further. 1 Like |
Re: Furore Over Doctor Of Pharmacy Degree In Nigerian Universities. by Dannylux: 5:41am On Jun 29, 2014 |
Later y'all will scream that Doctors pride over their appellation when the title is envied by almost every other medics who aren't addressed as Doctors. Quite laughable. The way they hammered the need to be addressed as doctors I doubt if they truly intend to involve the clinical upgrade which they cited as their prime aim of the protest. 12 Likes |
Re: Furore Over Doctor Of Pharmacy Degree In Nigerian Universities. by Nobody: 5:42am On Jun 29, 2014 |
When all our hospitals and health centres are trash compared to other countries you want to upgrade the certificate to be like that of other countries. I don't why Nigerians keep dodging away from the real problem and spend all our energy on trival matters. We should please make our health sector up to world class standard first. I think that's what matters most to the common Nigerian than this D pharm and B pharm 3 Likes |
Re: Furore Over Doctor Of Pharmacy Degree In Nigerian Universities. by eaglechild: 5:56am On Jun 29, 2014 |
The Pharm D. Program is a total hogwash. How can a B. Pharm degree that takes 5 years to acquire be suddenly transformed to a doctorate equivalent by adding just one year, when in normal post graduate studies it takes one to two years of masters,then about two years of PhD to get a proper doctorate. They just want to answer "doctor". 7 Likes |
Re: Furore Over Doctor Of Pharmacy Degree In Nigerian Universities. by nagoma(m): 5:57am On Jun 29, 2014 |
The "wannabe Doctors" are desperate . Pharmacists , Optometrists and even ambulance drivers want to be referred to as Docrors and they refuse to go through medical school. The confusion in Nigeria's healthcare continues as we copy blindly from America. 13 Likes |
Re: Furore Over Doctor Of Pharmacy Degree In Nigerian Universities. by FindOut(m): 6:04am On Jun 29, 2014 |
obayaya: Kindly produce your source for the bolded. I wonder how people like you consciously type false information and confidently click the submit button, knowing fully well that thousands of people will read what you've posted. Can you please give the name of ONE university (out of the over 4500 institutions in the USA) that offers the B.Pharm degree? For anyone who's interested in how to become a pharmacist in the US, a simple google search which Mr. Misinformer above appears incapable of doing will produce a link like this http://www.wikihow.com/Become-a-Pharmacist @Topic, I wholeheartedly support the conversion, but of course the necessary infrastructure, facilities and curriculum must be in place so that a Pharm.D. degree from Nigeria will be readily considered equal to a Pharm.D. degree obtained anywhere else outside the country. 6 Likes 1 Share |
Re: Furore Over Doctor Of Pharmacy Degree In Nigerian Universities. by Nobody: 6:12am On Jun 29, 2014 |
nagoma: The "wannabe Doctors" are desperate . Pharmacists , Optometrists and even ambulance drivers want to be referred to as Docrors and they refuse to go through medical school. The confusion in Nigeria's healthcare continues as we copy blindly from America.....they refuse to go to medical school or their profession does not require them to 3 Likes |
Re: Furore Over Doctor Of Pharmacy Degree In Nigerian Universities. by BlackSwan: 6:18am On Jun 29, 2014 |
Jultee: When all our hospitals and health centres are trash compared to other countries you want to upgrade the certificate to be like that of other countries. I don't why Nigerians keep dodging away from the real problem and spend all our energy on trival matters. We should please make our health sector up to world class standard first. I think that's what matters most to the common Nigerian than this D pharm and B pharmHonestly, the way many Nigerians are obsessed with titles beggars belief. 2 Likes |
Re: Furore Over Doctor Of Pharmacy Degree In Nigerian Universities. by searay(m): 6:20am On Jun 29, 2014 |
Too long 1 Like |
Re: Furore Over Doctor Of Pharmacy Degree In Nigerian Universities. by Innodon(m): 6:25am On Jun 29, 2014 |
noted |
Re: Furore Over Doctor Of Pharmacy Degree In Nigerian Universities. by 1k001(m): 6:25am On Jun 29, 2014 |
As a general point - the more skilled healthcare workers we can produce and keep in Nigeria the better. If a D.Pharm degree does that then carry on. The real fight is against ignorance on health issues, poor healthcare use and capital flight to india and the likes for medical tourism. FYI we spend over 500 milion dollars annually on health care in India. Imagine what that money would do in Nigeria! |
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