The Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) has sealed a total of 326 pharmacies
and patent medicine stores in Niger State.
Director, Inspection and Monitoring of the council, Mrs. Anthonia Aruy, who
disclosed this to journalists in Minna, said 17 of those sealed were pharmacies,
while the remaining 309 were private patent medicine vendors.
She said 19 compliance directives were issued, nine to pharmacies and 10 to
patent medicine vendors for various offences.
Aruya further disclosed that the team of inspectors visited a total of 624
premises across 23 of the 25 local council areas of the state.
She disclosed that few persons were found to be unable to communicate in
English, a situation that, according to her, could result in a plethora of
treatment misadventures with grave public health implication.
“We advised such persons to engage in other forms of economic activity than
medicine vending,” she said.
Aruy described the exercise as the first phase of activities of the PCN to
streamline the drug distribution system in the state.
He said the move is aimed at improving the level of pharmaceutical services
delivery to the people of the state.
Further action, she said, will follow in due course, since the council is
committed to ensuring the full implementation of the national drug distribution
outline.
She advised the public to source its drug needs from registered and currently
licensed pharmacies and the over the counter medicines from registered ppmv
shops.
She warned that drugs sold in unregistered outlets couldn’t be guaranteed to be
genuine.
-NAN-
