Pharmacy Council Seals 618 Illegal Shops, Arrests Five In Rivers, Bayelsa
The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) has sealed 618 premises, including pharmacies and licensed medicine shops, for violating the council’s regulations in Rivers and Bayelsa States.
The council’s enforcement team also arrested five persons for allegedly engaging in illicit activities.
Disclosing this at a news briefing in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, on Thursday evening, the PCN Head of Enforcement, Dr. Suleiman Chiroma, stated that among the 618 premises sealed, 178 were pharmacies, 123 were patent medicine shops, and 317 were illegal shops, while nine premises were issued compliance directives.
Chiroma highlighted some of the offences including operating illegal shops, non-renewal of premises registration, carrying out clinical practices, and unauthorised access to controlled medicines, among others.
He also stated that during the week-long enforcement exercise, the team visited four local government areas in Rivers State comprising Port Harcourt, Obio-Akpor, Ikwerre, and Etche; and two LGAs in Bayelsa State comprising Yenagoa and Southern Ijaw.
Chiroma recalled the obligations of the Council saying “The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) is established by Establishment Act No. 31 of 2022 and is charged with the responsibility of regulating and controlling the education, training, and practice of pharmacy in all its aspects and ramifications.”
According to him, the Council has the mandate to, among other things, enforce the National Drug Distribution Guidelines, which are prerequisites for access to safe and quality medicines in Nigeria.
He further stated that the enforcement exercise concurrently in Rivers and Bayelsa States since the beginning of the week is part of the PCN’s effort to achieve its mandate and rid the nation of substandard and falsified medicines.
He added, “The pharmaceutical landscape in Nigeria has been bedeviled by chaotic drug distribution, unlicensed and illegal premises, and the handling of medicines by unauthorised persons. These necessitated this action.”
The PCN boss also stated that the enforcement exercise targets pharmaceutical core areas of practice, premises, and personnel to ensure adherence to minimum quality assurance standards as enshrined in the PCN Establishment Act 2022 and relevant regulations and guidelines.
He said that pertinent areas of the standards enforced include ethics of the profession, maintenance of a well-regulated environment to preserve the quality and potency of medicines, and the levels of expertise of personnel engaged in the practice.
Pharmacy Council Seals 618 Illegal Shops, Arrests Five In Rivers, Bayelsa is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
