Gov. Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, on Tuesday, said the state would work with the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) to enhance health care services in the state.
The governor said this in Kaduna at the opening of the 92nd annual national conference of the PSN with the theme ‘Navigating the Winds of Change in Professional Practice in a Volatile Economy’.
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He noted that pharmacists play an important role in improving access to healthcare, as such should key into the state’s vision of expanding and standardizing its health sector, especially at the grassroots.
El-Rufai stressed that in spite of financial difficulties, all states must develop ways to ease access to better medications and health care, especially at the grassroots.
He canvassed that the pharmacists should have greater roles under the new focus on Primary Health Care and the National Health Insurance Scheme.
“The growing campaign to recognize community pharmacies as primary health centres, given their closeness to families and communities will make pharmacists benefit more from the fund and expand services to communities.
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“With this, the state would make sure in each of its health facilities in the state and local governments, pharmacists would be in place to render their services to ensure better results.
“Kaduna state being number one in ease of doing business, we are looking forward to pharmacists that would benefit from it by venturing into drug production to improve on their profession and that of the state’s economy”, he said.
The President of PSN, Sam Ohuabunwa, noted that the pharmaceutical sector in the country had been overlooked, especially the community pharmacists who were closest to the people.
“We always talk about health insurance and people being able to afford access to quality healthcare, but most often time we leave the pharmacists out of it.
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“Pharmacists are the ones that ensure that the quality of drugs administered to patients, that require them to get well, is available
“I think it is time we recognise their role and make their profession add to the positive development in Nigeria,“ he said.
