BENIN CITY- The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria, ACPN, held its annual Summit at the weekend in Benin City with a call for adequate recognition and acknowledgement as professional Primary Health Care provider in the society through official Executive gazette and legislation.

In his welcome address at the gathering of Community Pharmacists with the theme, “The Expanding Roles of Community Pharmacists in Primary Healthcare”, the Chairman, ACPN, Edo State, Pharm. Duke Otite disclosed that Community Pharmacists are the unsung heroes of Primary Healthcare delivery in Nigeria

“For over two decades, Primary Health care centers collapsed in Nigeria and Edo state was not an exception with available Primary Health Care Centers becoming places where destitute, animals and reptiles co-habit. Community Pharmacists have had to step into the ungoverned spaces of Primary Healthcare delivery to prevent a total collapse of this very critical level of Healthcare intervention.

“For long, the bane of Primary Healthcare provision fell on the community pharmacies as the most visible intervention in that cadre albeit informally. People only go to Primary Health care centers to collect yellow cards, compulsory vaccinations and other travel compliments.

“Community Pharmacists practicing in their Pharmacies have constantly provided the needed first point of care to citizens accompanied by large doses of referrals to secondary institutions. Indeed, Community Pharmacists are the unsung heroes of Primary Healthcare delivery in Nigeria which was most visible in recent times during the COVID-19 pandemic where most Health institutions “closed shops” leaving the Public Health care with the community Pharmacists as the only available option to provide Health care services” he noted.

According to Pharm. Duke Otite, it is only recently that the government started looking at the Primary Health care Centers to revamp them from the ashes of collapse by setting up of the National and state Primary Healthcare Development Agency.

While stressing that it will take the collaborative effort of all stakeholders in the Healthcare sector, government to pull back Healthcare from the brinks of collapse, Pharm Otite said the theme for this year summit was apt considering the shortcoming in the healthcare delivery systems and coinciding with the desire and zeal of the Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki to reposition healthcare in the state and to deliver to the citizen a 21st century healthcare.

“It is in this loftiness that the ACPN sought relevance on merit to be included in the governor’s healthcare plan through the Edo Health Insurance Scheme and Primary Health care participation which are the key components of the Universal Health Coverage.

“This request, when acceded to will be a win-win for all stakeholders in the Healthcare sector and for the citizens at large. We can no longer continue the old ways of bickering, politicking with Healthcare that have yielded consistently poor outcomes in our healthcare indices amongst Nations and hope that miracles may happen and the result upturned. The time for serous introspect at our primary healthcare delivery is now” he added.

The key note speakers, Prof. Ray Ozolua, of the faculty of Pharmacy, University of Benin and , Dr. Samuel Adekola, the National Chairman of ACPN justified the critical role the community pharmacist and community pharmacies play in primary health care delivery.

In the words of Prof. Ozulua, “there are yawning gaps to be filled by Pharmacists in Nigeria and where there is no pharmacy, the people will make one for themselves.”

Among dignitaries who graced the summit include the governor of Edo state, Mr. Godwin Obaseki who declared the event open. He was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. Osamwonyi Irowa, the Executive Secretary Edo State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr. Julie Erhabor, The Chairman, House Committee on Health, Edo State House of Assembly, Pharm. Hon. Emmanuel Okoduwa, Dr. Enadeghe Davy Osaretin, Chairman, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Edo state and Pharm. Tivere Osa-Afe, Director of Pharmaceutical Services, Edo State Ministry of Health who stood in for the Permanent Secretaries amongst others.