Ekiti State Government has charged the pharmacists in the State to be more dedicated as experts that guide people from using inferior drugs and also help the physician in making sure they prescribed the right drugs in a collaborative effort .
The Commissioner for Health and Human Services Dr. Mojisola Yaya-Kolade who made this charge while speaking with newsmen in her office, the commissioner said the pharmacist get involved in drug production before it gets to the market, both in research and formulation and up to the level of dispensing it out to the patients.
“Pharmacists work with the Doctors in the hospitals to choose the best medications for the disease that is being treated.so you can not rule out their importance”. She said.
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Dr. Kolade who said the theme for this year world pharmacist day is “Safe and Effective Medicine for All” stressed that as part of the activities to be more effective in Ekiti State, the pharmacist are charged with the accreditations, licensing and stamping out of quacks out of Ekiti state.
“The state government would ensure patient medicine stores are not acting as a pharmacist because there is a huge different between the two which everybody must stay within the scope of his practice.”
In a press release by Biodun Omofe,the health ministry PRO,the Commissioner warned anyone that is practicing outside the law of the pharmacy within the State that the store or shop will be closed or any chemist that does not have a certified pharmacist that can prescribed drugs will be shut down within the State as the good health of the people is very important to the government.
She however said the government will soon start educating the people and sensitizing the teenagers from Primary school to the tertiary institutions and even the adults about the negative effect and consequences of drug use and abuse in the society.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Health and Human Services, Dr. Folakemi Olomojobi said the Mandate of the health sector in Ekiti State is to ensure that the people consume safe drugs and that the professionals handle drug related issues in the State and to also ensure that any drugs that come to Ekiti State is from a certified manufacturer.
Dr. OlomojobI stressed that hawking of drugs will no longer be allowed which is one of the reasons why the state government set up Task Force that can handle the issue of illegal use of drug and hawking in the Ekiti State.
The Director of pharmaceutical services in Ekiti State, Pharm. Adetunji Kolawole however said the Ministry will soon be going round to carry out enforcement activities in the State to shut down any unregistered drug outlet or those that has not renewed their licenses which is one of the ways to achieve the theme of this year world pharmacist day celebration which is already on.
