Korede Abdullah in Lagos
The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to urgently address what it described as the “systemic marginalisation” of non-physician professionals in both the health and education sectors.
In an open letter signed by its National Chairman, Pharm. Ambrose Igwekamma Ezeh, and National Secretary, Omokhafe Ashore on Wednesday, the ACPN cited protests by physicians at the University of Calabar and Nnamdi Azikiwe University, where they reportedly resisted the appointment of Vice-Chancellors without medical backgrounds.
“The Federal Ministry of Education, under a most inexperienced leadership, is systematically promoting a flurry of Universities of Medicine while insisting that only physicians can serve as Vice Chancellors,” the pharmacists lamented.
The ACPN accused physician-dominated unions of using strikes as blackmail to secure appointments in violation of laid-down rules, and condemned the longstanding practice of restricting Chief Medical Director (CMD) positions at Federal Health Institutions (FHIs) to physicians.
“Most CMDs are part-time academics but enjoy full-time leadership roles at hospitals, an abuse of public service rules,” the group said, citing mismanagement exemplified by hospitals left without power due to unpaid bills.
They called for the return of professional hospital administrators, stressing, “This is why we need trained hospital administrators to manage our hospital system, as was the case before 1995.”
Decrying the exclusion of pharmacists in major health policies, the ACPN pointed to the sidelining of community pharmacists during the COVID-19 immunisation drive and raised concerns over the approval of MEDIPOOL without stakeholder input.
They advocated for the creation of a Federal Drug Management Agency to oversee drug procurement and distribution.
Warning that Universal Health Coverage will remain a “mirage” without urgent reforms, the ACPN urged Tinubu to “stop the incomprehensible dominance of an overpampered group of civil servants,” adding, “National growth will continue to suffer unless this imbalance is corrected.”
