Drug Abuse: PSN Seeks Consumer Protection Directorate
Pharmacists under the auspices of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), are advocating an amendment of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Act to accommodate a new Directorate of Consumer Protection to address the recurring menace of drug misuse and abuse in the country.
The PSN which made the call in a position paper on ‘Drug Misuse and Abuse,’ which was presented to the National Assembly on Monday, also urged the National Assembly to ensure a speedy Presidential assent to the amended Pharmacy Council of Nigeria Bill, recently passed into law.
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In the statement, which was signed by the President of the PSN, Dr. Ahmed Yakasai, the PSN said the proposed Directorate of Consumer Protection, had become necessary against the background of drug misuse and abuse, which was now taking unprecedented toll on the health of the consuming public in Nigeria.The proposed Directorate of Consumer Protection should be headed by a Registered Pharmacist, the PSN suggested.
Similarly the PSN appealed to the National Assembly to consider dispensing meaningful budgets for the inspectorate activities of the PCN. “In similar spirit, these enhanced budgets must be extended to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the NDLEA,” he added.
The PSN noted that the Consumer Protection Directorate will be empowered to coordinate health advocacy and monitoring/control of narcotics and other medicines with abuse and misuse potentials in Nigeria.
“It is important that the amended NDLEA Act provides for the establishment of National Rehabilitation Centres for victims of drug abuse in the six geo-political zones of the country.
“The rehabilitation centres will be under the supervision of the directorate of Health Advocacy and Monitoring/Control,” added Yakasai.
On the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) Bill, Yakasai said, “We strongly urged the National Assembly to ensure a speedy Presidential assent to enable the new Act of Parliament re-shape the course of monitoring and control procedures in Nigeria.
“The envisaged PCN Bill is well grounded in law to boost the inspectorate activities of PCN which has statutory powers to regulate and control all pharmaceutical premises in both public and private sectors.”
According to him, this mandate would give the PCN latitude to modulate the activities of any stakeholder in the drug distribution channels in Nigeria.
Furthermore, the PSN strongly urged the National Assembly to ensure that the executive arm of government constitutes the Governing Council and Boards of the plethora of agencies involved in drug distribution.
“This is particularly germane for an effective execution of the statutory mandate of the three principal agencies of the Federal Government involved in drug distribution endeavours in Nigeria including the PCN, NAFDAC and the NDLEA.”
Source: New Telegraph News
