bigass:

i love big dikcs.is your father endowed?

adeoladrg:

Pharmacy boasts as much requirements to study as medicine and even more as it is in IFE. Your thinking is misplaced!

adeoladrg:

Pharmacy boasts as much requirements to study as medicine and even more as it is in IFE. Your thinking is misplaced!

adeoladrg:

Pharmacy boasts as much requirements to study as medicine and even more as it is in IFE. Your thinking is misplaced!

Iwegbadu:

So far we, the general public and patients know the truth their mere title dont mean a thing they would even be suprised when patients start insisting to see identification cards proving that only doctors should touch or treat them, do this pharmacists know how to check for vital organs and translate what it means? The only point since morning has been iatrogenic, continue in this fooloshness pharmacists, i pray doctors should resume bac and fold their arms while enjoying the stupidity unfold it will be very funny cqnt wait

AmyJacob: These arguments are really very infantile. No profession dictates to any other profession in the developed world. There is the national association of boards of pharmacy in the US that regulates the practice of the profession in 50 states and Guam and US Virgin Island. There is the American Board of Physicians, board of nursing etc. None takes orders from the other. It might interest folks to know that CMD or Medical director is not the overall boss in most hospitals in the USA. The president or CEO of most hospitals here may not even be in any of the health care professions, he or she is usually an MBA or PhD in healthcare administration. The arguments are uncalled for. Here the size of the pie is grown by running these facilities profitably though most hospitals are non profit. The big pie allows healthcare in America to be the sector with highest no of professions making 6 figures.
A nurse Anaesthetist here can make as high as$180000, more than a family physician or pediatrician or some psychiatrists.

I worked in a hospital where a psychiatrist friend was written-up (what we call query) by the boss who happened to be a healthcare administration graduate and was the director. Please let's enlighten each other and improve each other's intrinsic value with factual conversations. Pharmacists here don't even flaunt pharm D . Physical therapists don't flaunt their Dpt while optometrists don't flaunt their O.D. Everyone just works. You will all be so busy that you will not remember titles and ego. Professions evolve. Architecture in Nigeria used to be a diploma but it's now a masters in architecture with a D.Arch in its heels. Lawyers now get a J.D

Let us not drag our country back with all these petty talk. Any nigerian pharmacist who wants to emigrate to the us must meet certain criteria. Let's keep improving so that those degrees will be useful for them. As for the title craze, no one should be called Engr or Pharm etc it's a sign of how low our society is that people even buy doctorate degrees from some dubious paper mills here and nigerians address them as "dr"

adeoladrg:

You probably didn't read op's post. Rather, you rushed here to air ur unneeded opinion!

Who is talking about vital signs? Did anyone tell you pharmacists are overtaking doctor's roles by becoming a consultant?

sisiafrika: vitAl organs indeed. Vital system nko? And vital cells? Omo ale bi baba e

adeoladrg:

Does the push for residency training for pharmacists make them even with the 'other people' in ur post?

fsb: It's really sad that people need titles before they can do their job. A pharmacist/nurse/lab scientist and even a physician doesn't need a specialist label before they are required to do their primary jobs which is to provide quality care for patients.

Unfortunately, as with the rest of the civil service, healthcare workers are mostly more interested in their welfare (monthly alert and other benefits) than the desire to provide quality care to their patients and they are all guilty.

In the end, the squabbles between these two warring factions (physicians vs johesu) could push the government to privatising these hospitals. Truth is quality healthcare is expensive world over but what we get in general hospitals is far from the alphabet 'q'. If after 54 years of independence and after earning over USD400bn in revenue from crude oil sales in the last 11years, our people are still dying from misdiagnosis, developing bed sores while on admission, getting erroneous results from labs where reagents are kept in a non-functional refrigerator, and then treated with drugs bought from the pharmacy opposite the hospital gate because the government hospital pharmacy is 'out of stock' on that drug, then our healthcare system has more problems than who gets the title 'consultant'.

My opinion: get a professional hospital administrator (with a post grad degree in hosp administration/healthcare mgmt + MBA + experience) to run these hospitals. Let every other person focus on their patients.

Cityguy: The simmering hatred for doctors have come to the surface with this baseless agitation over title. Unfortunately, our govt is playing the ostrich. Some say doctors are killing patients, now those same patients are left in your care now and what do we see, frenzied vituperations cos though not particularly informed as we say, Nigerians know who they need to see in the hospitals. Evrything is grounded just cos some 'killer' docs refused to show up at work. Isn't that instructional?
This talk about patients dying in Nigeria is laughable cos if patients don't die in USA, by now they suppose to be more populous than us. Pls, don't watch too much of these films cos it has a way of messing with one's reasoning if care is not taken.
Why so much hate? Haba! Someone wrote that there would be more revocation of Dr's licences but you know what, I was actually listening to 9ce at the time, funny ehn? 'If you dey wait for my downfall oo, u go dey there, u go die there.....' E lo sempe!!!

1k001: ''The title “CONSULTANT” in a hospital setting describes the relationship between the Specialist Medical Doctor and his patient. It will be a source of confusion if the title is applied to any other health worker who statutorily does not own patient. NMA, therefore, declares with unmitigated emphasis that if “non-doctor consultants” are appointed, it will lead to chaos and anarchy in the health sector. This should not happen.''

Above is the specific demand of the NMA. Methinks it is not an unreasonable assertion.

Yes 'consultant' is used in other sectors but as far as health is concerned it is used in a specific way and to change that use will likely be detrimental and cause confusion.

The buck needs to stop at someone who will own and shoulder responsibility for the patient. We have not unreasonably chosen this 'someone' to be a senior experienced doctor.

Other terminologies such as specialist nurse/pharmacist or nurse practitioners or advanced practitioner should be used. I know in the UK there are consultant nurses/pharmacists but we are far away from where they were when they introduced the concept.

manjiggy: I think because Pharmacists make drugs and have extensive knowledge of drugs, the post makes sense.


Why can't we give it a try and see how it goes?

fsb: It's really sad that people need titles before they can do their job. A pharmacist/nurse/lab scientist and even a physician doesn't need a specialist label before they are required to do their primary jobs which is to provide quality care for patients.

Unfortunately, as with the rest of the civil service, healthcare workers are mostly more interested in their welfare (monthly alert and other benefits) than the desire to provide quality care to their patients and they are all guilty.

In the end, the squabbles between these two warring factions (physicians vs johesu) could push the government to privatising these hospitals. Truth is quality healthcare is expensive world over but what we get in general hospitals is far from the alphabet 'q'. If after 54 years of independence and after earning over USD400bn in revenue from crude oil sales in the last 11years, our people are still dying from misdiagnosis, developing bed sores while on admission, getting erroneous results from labs where reagents are kept in a non-functional refrigerator, and then treated with drugs bought from the pharmacy opposite the hospital gate because the government hospital pharmacy is 'out of stock' on that drug, then our healthcare system has more problems than who gets the title 'consultant'.

My opinion: get a professional hospital administrator (with a post grad degree in hosp administration/healthcare mgmt + MBA + experience) to run these hospitals. Let every other person focus on their patients.

Iwegbadu:

Your comment is oozing iq reducer. Is there anything like vital system? You are so stupi.d its amazing, shebi na the same ife we dey na you think nobody knows you lol. I am going to treat ur fckkk up, oloribu bi mama e

sigolisis:

Consultant Pharmacist and Consultant Physician, are they not suppose to work hand in hand for the benefits of the patient. Will a Consultant Pharmacist strike out a drug from prescription without discussing and reaching an agreement with the doctor? What do you mean by confusion when each of the consultants specialises in different areas, what confusion are you talking about? The problem i see is that our doctors don't want to relate with other healthcare professionals, sometimes even with their fellow doctors when they have cases they cannot handle (this happens mostly in private clinics) , ''ego of knowing it all, anything I say is final even if the patient is being slaughtered'' If I am diligent in my work how can you know more than me in my area of specialisation?. Anything can work if we want it to, it is working in other countries why should our own be an exception. If we see benefits in it, we should look for ways of making it work even if some old LAWS have to be amended, the world is changing except the doctors don't like or care for the patients as they claim.

bigass: The really reason they all want to become consultant is because they want to become Chief MEDICAL Director of Teaching of Hospitals. That can never happen

sigolisis:

You see, exactly what we are talking about ego, selfishness, greed, hatred, etc. In the universities why do all qualified professors have right to contest for the office of the Vice Chancellor? Why not go and fight Jonathan for appointing the new education minister when he is not a professor Nigerians can now see clearly that many of our so-called doctors don't have passion for what they do, no care for humanity as they claim. They are after title, oppression and selfish administration. Go find your calling and make positive impact there.

bigass:

why is SSANU not fighting ASUU for the position of Vice Chancellor

sisiafrika: SSANU or NASU? Dis chick is dumber dan I actually thot sha. Should we start buying u 100naira abbreviations pamphlets? I hope not.

bigass:

stop displaying your stupidity hoe!Its either u are yet to enter a university or you are a poly graduate
There are 3 unions in a university

SSANU Senior staff association of Nigerian universities
ASUU Academic staff union of Nigerian universities
NASU Non Acdemic Staff Union

Shut Up hoe

sisiafrika: gud u know. Bite me, chief medical hoe

bigass:

good that you accept your dumbness and stupidity. How can you not know that SSANU exists ?

bjtinz:

no be lie. Even without research one can easily tell. I was at esut in Enugu recently and i saw where d new recruits at dia school of nursing were being shown around. Meeeen come see bakassi, see figure eight, see boobs dancing up and down.

Na so i come . . .

hydeka: Here is another long but necessary 'epistle' on the ongoing struggle in the health sector.

Did you know that over 80 percent of health conditions are treated with drugs and other pharmaceutical products? It is a well known fact by all health professionals that medications play a significant role in patients care.

Are you aware that there are over 25,000 prescription products available in the World today compared to 650 prescription products available in 1960’s? According to United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA), there are over 25,000 registered prescription products as of June, 2014.
Did you know that over 50 percent of patients with chronic illnesses are non-compliant with their medications?
Are you aware that lack of compliance by patients, drug interactions, drug misuse, drug abuse, failing interaction in the health services and prescription errors contributed to over 80 per cent of treatment failures? In a research conducted by Farup PG et al, the cumulative of these factors contributed 84 percent to treatment failure.
Did you know that in Nigeria there are over 10,000 Nigerians to one pharmacist far above World Health Organization recommendation of one pharmacist to a 1000 of the population? According to Mrs Gloria Ebumere, the Acting Registrar of Pharmacists Council of Nigeria, there are 16,970 registered Pharmacists as of May 2012 (Punch Newspaper).
Are you aware that in over 30 states of the United States, physicians enter into agreements with pharmacists to jointly manage patients’ drug therapy?
Did you know that the ONLY health care professional that has comprehensive, exclusive and expert knowledge about drugs, cosmetics and other pharmaceutical products are pharmacists? Are you aware that one of the most trusted, accessible and reliable professionals (not just in the health care sector but in all professions) in the World are Pharmacists? In an annual poll conducted by Gallup In 2013, pharmacists placed second among the professions listed, with 75% of respondents expressing a high or very high opinion of their honesty and ethical standards. Pharmacists retain a spot in the top 3 for the tenth consecutive year.

Who are Pharmacists? According to Wikipedia, Pharmacists are health care professionals, who practice in pharmacy, the field of health science focusing on the safe and effective medication use. A pharmacist is a member of the health care team directly involved in patient care. Pharmacists undergo university-level education to understand biochemical mechanisms of the action of drugs, drug uses, and therapeutic roles, side effects, potent drug interactions and monitoring parameters. This is mated to anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology. Pharmacists interpret and communicate this specialized knowledge to patients, medical practitioners and other health care providers. Pharmacists are involved in every aspect of the preparation and use of medicines, from research and development to eventual supply to a patient. In a nutshell, pharmacists are drug experts.

Who are Consultant Pharmacists? According to America Society of Consultant Pharmacists, a Consultant Pharmacist is a Pharmacist who is paid to provide expert advice on the use of medication by individuals or within institutions, or on the provision of pharmacy services to the institution. Consultant Pharmacists ensure that their patients’ medication is the most appropriate, most effective, most cost-effective, the safest possible, and are used correctly. They are saddled with the responsibility to identify, resolve and prevent medication-related problems. They accomplish this through a comprehensive consultation that provides a thorough, one-on-one review of all your medications;prescription, over-the-counter, herbal and nutritional. A Consultant Pharmacist has studied and acquired extensive knowledge and experience in observing and properly assessing the health of patient, advocating healthy living practices and diseases prevention for patients, identifying medication-related problems that can cause, aggravate or contribute to common patient problems, making it easier for patient to take their medications properly by labeling, packaging and organizing prescription drugs better and understanding the role of care giver, the financial challenges that patients can face, and the importance of choosing appropriate care.

IMPROVING YOUR QUALITY OF LIFE
In addendum to possessing skills specifically tailored to individual patient’s need, Consultant Pharmacists have a different perspective from most Doctors to dispense medication for a patient. A consultant Pharmacist would first look if the symptoms might itself be a side effect of a current medication.

For clarity purpose, what does the above statement imply; Does your medication make you drowsy? Do you feel anxious, confused or depressed? Do you sleep poorly at night? Is your thinking foggy? Are you having a severe headache? Do you have dry cough?
All of the above symptoms may be pretty related to taking your medications. For example, a high blood pressure patient taking Agiontensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitors (ACEI) like Ramipril, Lisinopril or Enalapril to mention a few may have dry cough as a side effect. A consultant Pharmacist will evaluate the overall picture of how your medication is affecting your quality of life. This will make a huge difference for you and your loved ones. Consequently, it generally affects the well-being of the society.
In addition, to the above services, a consultant Pharmacist helps to identify and reduce medication related problems such as drug interactions and side effects with his extensive knowledge in Structural Activity Relationship (SAR) and pharmacology. A typical example is when you take your paracetamol with alcohol. Paracetamol, also known as acetaminophen chemical structure contained a benzyl ring with NHCOCHʒ and OH at the Para positions. In other words, it is a phenolic group (alcoholic group), which when used with any other type of alcohol increases the work load of the liver, therefore causing increased liver metabolism which can subsequently lead to liver diseases. Consultant Pharmacists help to eliminate unnecessary medication due to poly pharmacy, simplify the system of taking medication therefore eliminating complex medication, reduce medications cost, serve as your advocate with your Doctor to ensure the use of most appropriate medications, promote wellness and help in identifying untreated problems.
For hundreds of millions of people across the world, especially in America with chronic illnesses, Consultant Pharmacists play a vital role in ensuring optimal drug therapy thereby improving patients’ quality of life. In their role as medication therapy experts, consultant pharmacists take responsibility for their patients medication-related needs, they ensure that they receive the optimal care.

AN ATMOSPHERE OF MISCONCEPTION!
Let me also use this medium to clear the air on those people who believe that 80 per cent of people who eventually studied pharmacy failed to gain admission to study medicine. Consultant Pharmacist and the current President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Pharmacist Olumide Akintayo gave an insightful and factual response in an interview with Punch Newspaper on October 26, 2013, “The fourth estate of the realm (The Press) has a sacred responsibility to report and put issues in their right perspective. Your question is an obvious fall-out of deliberate propaganda orchestrated by some stakeholders in healthcare. At the First Doctors Summit in Asaba, Prof. Wole Atoyebi, a past President of the Nigerian Medical Association submitted that part of the problems in health care was that people who could not gain admission for medicine settled for other courses in health care and now want to enjoy the benefit of what they could not attain as students. Graciously they allowed me to participate at that session and in the full glare of the over 1,000 delegates from across the country, I submitted that the entry point for pharmacy was higher in the great University of Ife (now OAU) than any other course in the university system. Ife is the best rated in this country and despite all hiccups, it is still highly rated both in the Commonwealth and Africa.
I openly challenged the delegates at the conference like I am still doing even now to controvert evidence that the entry point for pharmacy is not one of the top five in any Nigerian university that it is offered. In my days, the entry point for direct entry students was a minimum of 12 points in physics, chemistry and biology. You may want to find out, no student is admitted into a pharmacy faculty except pharmacy is the course of first choice. So, the chance of opting for pharmacy if you cannot study medicine does not even arise most times. As prelim students in Ife, when pharmacy students take courses in mathematics and excel because you are not allowed to carry over, medical students took courses in sociology and economics because they were failing mathematics in numbers.
These are verifiable facts. Do find out what it takes to study pharmacy in our universities and I can boldly confirm to you that the rigour is second to none. Just find out from any neutral person who passed through a university where pharmacy is offered. This is why a pharmacist who is worth his salt cannot be consumed by a persecution complex or siege mentality. Why else do you think pharmacists excel in all sectors? Go to the telecoms and check out the number of pharmacists who are at the top echelon at MTN, Airtel, Glo and Etisalat. In banking, pharmacists are directors and vice presidents and so on. Do find out how many pharmacists are in charge of oil and gas companies in Nigeria.”

NIGERIANS HEALTH ARE IN THEIR HANDS
I firmly believe with every fibre of my being that discerning Nigerians of all ages, tribes and regions who are keen about improved quality of life for all Nigerians regardless of the geographical location will key in to the necessity of having consultant Pharmacists in Nigerian hospitals. Barrister Tosin Ayo, in his wisdom gave us a better clue on the meaning of consultancy when he wrote, “The word ‘Consultant’ is derived from the Latin word: ‘consultare’ meaning “to discuss”. A consultant is thus a professional who has a wide knowledge of a subject matter and who provides professional and expert advice in a particular area such as security (electronic or physical), management, accountancy, law, human resources, marketing, public relations, finance, health, media practice and journalism, engineering, science or any of many other specialised fields.
From the foregoing definition, it means any health professional can be a Consultant in his/her own field so long as the medical doctors are not only also made Consultants but remain the traditional Administrative heads of medical institutions.” There is wisdom in the words of Albert Einstein when he opined, “In matters of truth and justice, there is no difference between large and small problems, for issues concerning the treatment of people are all the same.”

Pharm. Sesan Kareem is a young Nigerian Pharmacist and Author. He writes from Lagos.

sisiafrika: 'oozing iq reducer' ? Dats another one. Kini olodo oni invent? Ara oto oshi everyday. Keep disguising as a law student bt I'm satisfied dat I have elevated ur blood pressure thru raw nerve stepping.. If u are banned again, created another username, as u have been doing. 'Sisinaijayeyeo' 'alleluia' and many more u hv created. Only losers stalk. On a normal day, I don't quote low lives, nah nah nah, but I hv decided to give ur boring life a meaning by bringing this exception into my rule. Let's watch how d fukk up treating goes. Last time m gonna quote u

rotadeco27: In the hospital setting u cant become a consultant wcout having passed through the rigor of residency training programm wch takes 4 to 8 yrs depending on d area of specialization I.e the Dr must ave graduated frm med sch ,done internship,nysc witten primaries b4 the training, I don't seem to undrstan. Y Jhesu want to turn d title to pure water.I will also look 4 drving job in teaching hospital so I can bcome a consultant ambulance driver then Chief medical director

bigass:

stop displaying your stupidity hoe!Its either u are yet to enter a university or you are a poly graduate
There are 3 unions in a university

SSANU Senior staff association of Nigerian universities
ASUU Academic staff union of Nigerian universities
NASU Non Acdemic Staff Union

Shut Up hoe