The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) has sealed 572
pharmacies, patent medicine stores, and illegal drug outlets across Plateau
State following a four-day enforcement exercise aimed at strengthening
compliance within the pharmaceutical sector.
Speaking at a press conference in Jos on Friday, the
Council’s Head of Enforcement, Dr. Suleiman Chiroma, said the affected premises
were shut down for various regulatory infractions, including unauthorized
clinical practice, improper handling of controlled medicines, and unhygienic
activities such as cooking within drug storage and dispensing facilities.
Representing the Registrar of the Council, Ibrahim
Ahmed, Chiroma explained that the operation was conducted under the provisions
of the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (Establishment) Act No. 31 of 2022 and forms
part of ongoing efforts to enforce the National Drug Distribution Guidelines
(NDDG).
According to him, the initiative is designed to
sanitize Nigeria’s pharmaceutical distribution system by ensuring that
medicines move through approved channels from manufacturers and importers to
end users.
“The ongoing enforcement exercise is focused on
removing unqualified individuals from the pharmaceutical supply chain and
addressing deficiencies in medicine storage and distribution. This is essential
in combating the circulation of substandard and falsified medicines,” he said.
The enforcement teams inspected 778 premises across
eight local government areas, including Jos North, Jos South, Mangu, Shendam,
Barkin Ladi, Qua’an Pan, and Bassa. The inspected facilities comprised 199
pharmacies, 499 patent medicine stores, and 80 illegal medicine outlets.
Following the exercise, the Council sealed 572
premises, including 120 pharmacies, 372 patent medicine stores, and all 80
illegal medicine outlets. Five compliance directives were also issued to
operators.
Chiroma revealed that approximately 60 percent of the
pharmacies inspected were sealed, a development he described as alarming and
indicative of significant shortcomings in pharmaceutical practice within the
state.
The Council also observed that pharmacies accounted
for only 26 percent of all premises inspected, with the majority being patent
medicine vendors and unlicensed operators.
Among the violations recorded were unauthorized
treatment of patients, storage and dispensing of medicines beyond approved
limits, unrestricted access to poison cupboards by non-pharmacists, obstruction
of regulatory officers, and unsafe practices within drug premises.
According to the Council, such violations pose serious
risks to public health and national security, particularly where controlled
medicines could be diverted for criminal purposes.
Despite the widespread closures, the PCN noted that
illegal outlets represented only 10 percent of all premises inspected and 14
percent of those sealed, suggesting a relatively low prevalence of completely
unlicensed operations in the state.
However, the Council expressed concern over the
performance of registered pharmacies, noting that only 40 percent were found to
be fully compliant with regulatory requirements, while many operated with
incomplete registration documentation.
Chiroma reaffirmed the Council’s commitment to
maintaining standards within Nigeria’s pharmaceutical sector and warned that
medicine outlets across the country would continue to be subjected to rigorous
inspections and regulatory oversight.
The Council also advised members of the public to
obtain medicines only from licensed and properly registered pharmacies and
medicine outlets to safeguard their health and safety.
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