The Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) has said the new consultant pharmacist cadre approved by the Federal Government will improve the aesthetics of healthcare delivery across the country and boost the country’s local capacity to produce vaccines.

Its Chairman, Prof Ahmed Mora, made this known in Abuja during the workshop to kick-start the implementation of the pharmacist consultant cadre within the healthcare system, in collaboration with the West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists (Nigeria Chapter).

With the recognition, the PCN is organising workshops in Lagos, Enugu and Kaduna to induct the fellows. The new consultants are expected to begin a new phase of their professional practice in the federal, states and local government levels as well as in the organised private sector for the benefit of patients and the healthcare system.

Mora said: “We expect that the propensity and accelerated development of pharmaceutical products whether they are solid dosage forms or syrups or vaccines are now enhanced. With these new skills acquired by the production and quality control pharmacists, it is expected that prophylaxis, diagnostics, and curative components like vaccines will now be brought to bear because these consultants have been trained overtime but the recognition has not been there. Now the recognition is there in terms of remuneration and other packages, which will now serve as a motivator to do and give their best.”

The Chairman of the West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists (Nigeria Chapter), Dr. Chijioke Onyia, said what the new consultants are asking for is to be given a space to stand so that they can utilise those skills and competencies garnered to move the country forward health wise.

PCN Registrar, Elijah Mohammed, emphasised that the new consultant pharmacist cadre is not supposed to be a cause for competition with other professionals in the health sector.

“The issue is not about supremacy but the issue is about the patient, and this new concept is focusing on the patients. Before now, the pharmacy practice was product focused. But the new concept now is patient-focused, that is, pharmaceutical care; what are the impacts of these drugs on the patient, and how the patient can get better with the administration of the drugs.

“Therefore, there is no room for competition among professionals because everybody has his own field of endeavour. With this, we should be expecting an increase in the level of Nigeria’s healthcare delivery to move from the position it is now to a better one. It is pertinent to note that today’s event is the opening ceremony that will kickstart a series of zonal sensitisation workshops targeted at consultant pharmacists in order to familiarise them with the newly approved cadre as well as the attendant responsibilities. Pharmacists have been equipped with vast skills sets, which are yet to be fully deployed to achieve the desired result.

“I am confident that with this new cadre, there would be abundant opportunities to deploy every skill set acquired during the consultancy training and to enable pharmacists bring their specialised knowledge to bear on the healthcare system in Nigeria.”

According to the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health, Abdulaziz Abdullahi, the government recognises that pharmacists are integral to achieving the goals and objectives of the strategic health sector reform in Nigeria.

Thus, the creation of the consultant pharmacist cadre by the National Council on Establishment (NCE) is part of the overall effort of the government to reposition the pharmacy profession for the provision of more improved and quality healthcare services to the people.

“It is also hoped that this will stem the tide of brain drain to other parts of the world in search of specialisation and better remuneration. As you may be aware, the creation of the consultant cadre for pharmacists in civil public service in Nigeria was based on well-coordinated government processes and procedures. For the recognition of the need to improve the pharmacist practice in Nigeria, the NCE granted the approval for the inclusion of the pharmacist consultant cadre in the civil/public service.

The minister said its departments and parastatals/agencies have since been directed to recognise and accept the students of the West African College of Pharmacists (WACP) for residency programme and provide necessary assistance to make the programme a success.

The National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission has also been directed to include consultant pharmacists in the specialists’ allowance for consultant healthcare professionals – to be placed on Consolidated Health Salary Structure (CONHESS) 13-15, which is the equivalent of the Salary Grade Level (SGL) 15 -17. This is to develop the requisite manpower needed to feed the newly created cadre, he added.