Fides Media Living the Faith
By Ogochukwu Nwaokafor
The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), Anambra State Branch, has called on Ndi Anambra, stakeholders and pharmaceutical practitioners to take a critical look at the dispensation of drugs and their usage for a healthier life.
This was disclosed at the 32nd Annual State Conference of ACPN which was held last weekend in Awka, Anambra State, with the theme: “From Crisis to Preparedness: Future of Community Pharmacy Practice in Anambra State”.
Speaking during the address of welcome, the Anambra State Chairman of ACPN, Pharm Henry Iloh, said this year’s conference was centred on preparing community pharmacists in Anambra for future challenges in the profession and to embrace the new roles of the pharmacist in the community setting.
He added that the association would champion awareness creation to educate the people on the need to assess health through the proper channel.
The keynote Speaker, Pharm Ikem Odumodu, expressed worry over what he termed the proliferation of non-professionals in the dispensation of drugs and expressed dismay over the neglect. This was even as he called on the regulatory authorities to take actions for a healthier community development.
He however advised rural dwellers to seek qualified pharmacists for the purchase of drugs as prescribed by the doctor.
The Senator representing Anambra Central, Honorable Uche Lilian Ekwunife, speaking to journalists on the current agitation by Southeast senators for the seat to be zoned to the region, said she expected the Labour Party Senators and House Members to walk out because they should not be part of the agitation for Southeast Senate Presidency.
‘They should come out and show solidarity to their presidential candidate and reject the position first if they are saying that the election was rigged than sitting in the house, negotiating for who will be senate president and leave their presidential candidate in the court. They were the products of the same election,’ Ekwunife advised.
She said that as long as they continued to have Labour Senators-elect and Labour House of Reps-elect in the House, they had discredited the platform.
‘So those people should leave first to go and agitate for their presidential candidate because they are the products of the same election,’ Ekwunife insisted.
She said all the projects she started would be complete, noting that the projects were not zonal intervention.
‘I attracted them as Ekwunife Foundation and I have the capacity to do it; so even if I am not there (I know by June I will not be there), but I will complete those projects. I am a Nigerian and a major stakeholder in this country, so I will finish them,’ she assured.
Earlier the CPC Committee Chairman, Pharm Chioma Chike Nwankwo, in her address of welcome, identified what she termed some unprecedented changes evolving around human society, such as pandemic, insecurity, cash crunch, and said the collective efforts and hard work of members had helped to overcome those challenges, especially in community services.
The event attracted the Director of Pharmaceutical Services, Anambra State, Pharm Madike Obum; ACPN National Chairman, Pharm Prince Adewale Oladigbolu; PSN Chairman, Anambra State, Pharm Josephat Obasi; Pharmacy students from Nnamdi Azikiwe University and Anambra State University; Igwes and government officials.