Poverty Fueling Inter-professional Rivalry in Health Sector – PSN President
“You can imagine a medical doctor in Nigeria opening a patent medicine store, if not poverty, why should this be happening?”
The age-long rivalry among healthcare professionals in the country has been largely fueled by poverty in the land, the President of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Ahmed Yakasai has said.
Yakasai stated this while briefing newsmen at an occasion to mark the 2018 World Pharmacists’ Day/Scientific Workshop held in conjunction with GSK Nigeria in Lagos.
The theme of the World Pharmacy Day was “Pharmacists: Your medicines experts”.
The PSN boss also called on the Federal Government to discard the Yayale Ahmed report on Inter-Professional relationship in the health sector.
Yakasai who insisted that the Yayale Ahmed report would create more conflicts in the health sector however disclosed that the PSN, the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) and other professionals in the health sector had resolved to set up a committee to digest the report and come up with a common position.
According to him, the rivalry was caused by selfish interest and not for the benefits of the patients. He said all healthcare professionals should think more about the patients and not the money they would make.
“Yes, you can make money but not blood money”, he said, adding that all healthcare professionals were united to end the rivalry.
He said, “It wasn’t like this some years back but due to poverty in the country. If the budget would be increased to a level that would satisfy the workforce, I tell you, this rivalry would not be there.
“You can imagine a medical doctor in Nigeria opening a patent medicine store, if not poverty, why should this be happening? A pharmacist wants to prescribe, wants to dispense; a Lab scientist wants to conduct a test, prescribe and dispense”.
Yakasai said the theme of the day resonates with PSN’s agitation for recognition of pharmacists as medicine experts through the implementation of the Consultancy cadre in government hospitals.
He said pharmacists need to be supported to develop the capability for the opportunities that will allow the profession to be practised to full scope in Nigeria.
“For our healthcare delivery to move to the next level we need optimum medicine management and Pharmacists as medicine experts are crucial in the actualization of this goal”, the President added.
The PSN President said the move to take a holistic look at the controversial Yayale Ahmed report was being done in cahoots with their Nigerian colleagues based in America.
He said, “I just came back from North Carolina, the NMA President was there and we had a very robust, sincere and frank meeting in the presence of the President of Nigerian Association of Pharmacists and Pharmaceutical Scientists in America, the President of Association of Nigerian Physicians in America and President of Nigerian Association of Nurses in America and our Nigerian regulatory agencies.
“We all know what is right and wrong. We have agreed to have a committee as a whole and digest the Yayale report. We are going to have a common front. No need for doctors or pharmacists or other healthcare professionals to go solo.
“We swear to be our brother’s keepers and I hope it would work. We are going to have a meeting very soon and we would come out with our positions. We are all suffering for what is happening. Even doctors are not finding it palatable”.
Source: Daily Trust
