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

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.

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?

obayaya: 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?

Obviously you didn't read the article. You represent everything wrong with Nigeria and a contributor to the downfall of this country.

ok noted

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.

Na dem sabi. Na make me and my family no sick

Knowledge9000:

Obviously you didn't read the article. You represent everything wrong with Nigeria and a contributor to the downfall of this country.

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.

Knowledge9000:

Obviously you didn't read the article. You represent everything wrong with Nigeria and a contributor to the downfall of this country.

He has a point that obviously you do not see

ok

hmm..

obayaya:
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.

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.

Nice

Is there any way I can be of help here?

obayaya:

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.

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.

Black Swan:
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.

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.

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.

I smell the hand of bad bad belle NMA in this

obayaya:

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.

lol!

obayaya:
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.

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 .

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.

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.

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

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".

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.

obayaya:

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.

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.

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

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 pharm

Honestly, the way many Nigerians are obsessed with titles beggars belief.

Too long

noted

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!