₦airaland Forum

The Danger Ahead of Nigeria Health Care
System: The Need to Stop the Passage and
Subsequent Implementation of the Bill for
an Act for the Establishment of the Board of
Pharmaceutical technologists and Pharmacy
Technicians.
I read with the widest bewilderment the
debate led by Hon. Mohammed A
Mahmud,the member representing Agaie/
Lapai federal constituency in the Nigerian
House of Representatives.
It's my pleasure to inform you that the
highly respected honourable member is a
graduate of Federal Polytechnic,Kaduna,HND
and currently pursuing his Master's degree
at Nassarawa State University Keffi(registere
d 2017) after obtaining his postgraduate
diploma(PGD) in management. Permit me
therefore,to state that the honourable
member is learned and well-informed about
his duties and field of study but not in the
knowledge and dynamics of pharmacy
practice.
For the purpose of clarity and sake of all
Nigerians especially the non health care
professionals, I would make a basic
distinction between who a pharmacist
is,his/her scope of practice and level of
training; and who is a pharmacy technician
and pharmaceutical technologist with
respect to scope of duties and training
A Pharmacist is a health care professional
who is licensed to prepare,compound, and
dispense drugs and provide drug
information and care for the patient. It is
important to state that pharmacists
undergo rigorous mandatory minimum 5 or
6-year(Bpharm or PharmD respectively)
university level education to study the
discovery, synthesis, composition,
preparation, and general compounding of
drugs; and the mechanism of drugs
actions,drug uses,safety,potential
interactions, side effects and drug
monitoring parameters.
This entail the detailed knowledge of
physiology (the way the body functions),
anatomy (structure of the body),
pathophysiology (alterations in body
functions),pharmacotherapy (management
of body alterations with drugs),pharmace
utics (the art and technology of drug
production and design), chemistry (drug
synthesis, analysis and reactions),micr
obiology (study of pathologic organisms)
,pharmacology (study of what drugs do to
the body and how the body reacts to drugs)
and pharmacognosy(study of natural drug
products,isolation and herbal remedy).
Therefore I state authoritatively that a
pharmacist has the knowledge,training and
skills to practice pharmacy in all its
ramifications without any unsolicited
assistance from any group of persons.
Now let's consider who a pharmaceutical
technologist and pharmacy technician are.
A technician or a technologist as the case
maybe is a health care provider who
performs duties in a pharmacy generally
working under the direct supervision of a
licensed PHARMACIST.
They attain the highest educational
qualification of OND after a 2year of
Polytechnic education or School of Health
Technology. Its important to state that the
qualification, training and skills of a
technician/technologist do not empower
them to practice without the supervision of
a pharmacist.
We respectfully recognise their role in the
system to *assist the pharmacist in the
discharge of his/her professional duties as
stipulated by the regulations of the
Pharmacist Council of Nigeria*
Reasons why the Establishment of the
Council of Pharmacy Technician and
Pharmaceutical Technologists is not
Necessary:
1)The PCN decree 91 of 1992 (Now Act
1991 of 1992) has empowered the PCN
with the responsibility of regulating the
training,skill,and practice of technicians/
technologist in all its ramifications hence
the need for another council is not
justifiable by law an common sense.
2) The step is inconsistent with global
practice of pharmacy where technicians/
technologists work under the supervision
of pharmacists.
3)Pharmacists are driven by the philosophy
of providing pharmaceutical care and
meeting health care needs for the populace
like other professionals like doctors provide
health, lawyers provide justice,and
educationists provide truth. The driving
philosophy behind this unnecessary move is
yet to be defined and of course cannot be
defined.
*It is important to state that pharmacy
technician/technologist cannot be
addressed as professionals (as majority of
them are addressing themselves as Pharm)
because their training, skill and educational
qualification lack the merit and expertise of
professionals in pharmacy which entails

a) achieving PROFICIENCY in the field of pharmacy b) lack of STANDARDS to measure their COMPETENCE. While it is pertinent to state that I am not particularly against the issuance of license ( which however, is not necessary since there I a pharmacy council to do that) to this set of health care providers under pharmacists supervision, in order to checkmate quackery and regulate their membership, the scope of practice *must be clearly and unambiguously defined*. It is necessary to avoid *overlap of duties and encroachment to the full unhindered practice of pharmacy. Because in such case,it can b seen as quackery bearing in mind that these set of people lack the prerequisite knowledge base,training,l icense proficiency and competence required to discharge the duties of a pharmacist in any pharmacy setting ------> hospitals, industries and firms,community,ministries, military, Agencies and Parastatals such as NAFDAC,NDLEA,etcetera Dangers ahead of the Nigeria Health Care System and the Health of the people. These information is designed basically to inform the majority of Nigerian population especially those seeking quality health in the Nigeria heal care industry/facilities of the imminent danger that may over-elude the Nigerians if this Board/Council of health care providers is established. 1) Lack of trust/confidence in the health care systems especially as it relates to the use of drugs 2)patients may suffer the adverse effects of drugs due to erroneous information from practitioners that are not experts 3) loss of money due to frequent hospital visit from adverse drug effects. 4) Unnecessary death cases especially from minor cases and medical errors. *It should be on record that these information are passed to arm us with adequate information against the danger that may bedevil the health care system. Therefore, I call on all pharmacists, health processionals and patriotic Nigerians to arise against this bill so that history will vindicate us an posterity will applaud our move. #Nigerians arise to check this bill# #Say no to political bill encouragement against justice an health # #say yes to the position of conscience and patriotism in the Nigeria health care system# # Arise to protect the health of our people # #Arise to protect the noble pharmacy practice from embarrassment # #Arise oh compatriots# This is my humble submission! Pharm Eboigbe Nwabueze Precious nwabuezeeboigbe@gmail.com.

If pharmacy technicians and technologist successfully pull through this, the next battle ill be to operate a pharmacy shop. This will be detrimental to health of nigerians. Doctors will start blaming any medication error on pharmacist even if committed by a technician or technologist. One thing i know is that one of the things that make a field a profession is when it has a regulatory body which they are fighting for. As pharmacists and nigerians, 'lets join hands' to end this for our ourselves and our future. Thanks to #Pharm #Precious for pulling this

Please, it is wise we make proper research before
making hate speechs like this. You can not state the training of pharmacy technicians and pharmaceutical technologist you no nothing about. There's a difference between a technician and technologist. We should not just blindly follow a group having little knowledge of what really is the problem. Being a pharmacist shouldn't make one feel like a God. Pharmacy technicians and pharmaceutical technologist are not talking your jobs, they are only trying to improve the pharmacy sector of the country.

chukwumzurum:
Please, it is wise we make proper research before
making hate speechs like this. You can not state the training of pharmacy technicians and pharmaceutical technologist you no nothing about. There's a difference between a technician and technologist. We should not just blindly follow a group having little knowledge of what really is the problem. Being a pharmacist shouldn't make one feel like a God. Pharmacy technicians and pharmaceutical technologist are not talking your jobs, they are only trying to improve the pharmacy sector of the country.

don't mind him