Amid the euphoria of Nigeria receiving her first delivery of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines from the COVAX facility, pharmacists under the aegis of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (Lagos Chapter) have tasked the Federal Government on their roles in the ongoing vaccination process in the country.
They raised concerns that as custodians of medicines, pharmacists should occupy fundamental position in the vaccine administration.
According to the Chairman, Lagos PSN, Gbolagade Iyiola, there is a need for community pharmacists to know their role in the vaccination process.
He noted that every member of the healthcare team is important as witnessed in other countries, especially in the US,.
“All hands must be on deck. We don’t have enough health professionals in Nigeria. Even doctors, nurses, pharmacists are not enough. So, we want to let the government know that it is very crucial to make maximum use of all our healthcare professionals to the benefit of the public,” he said.
PSN Secretary, Kola Sunmonu also admonished that the federal government must understand that the era of one profession holding the key to patients’ wellbeing alone has to stop.
“The world has moved beyond that. In fact, what we are seeing in other part of the world is that physicians are encouraging pharmacists to take prescription course. In Nigeria, physicians are fighting pharmacists on consultancy cadre.
“What does it mean to be a consultant? It shows you have acquired special knowledge in your field of study. We have consultant engineers, auditors, and the rest. This should be to the benefit of Nigerians” he stressed.
