PSN seeks stakeholders’ collaboration to boost local pharmaceutical production
As part of efforts to achieve medicines availability in Nigeria, the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), has called for effective partnership and collaboration among drug manufacturers in the country under the umbrella body of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (PMG-MAN), to boost local pharmaceutical production.
President of PSN, Pharm. Ahmed Yakasai, who made the call during the PMG-MAN’s 2017 Pharma Expo held in Lagos recently, said collaboration among stakeholders in the pharmaceutical sector was critical to national development and increase in local pharmaceutical production.
Yakasai noted that such measures would improve access to healthcare delivery in Nigeria, foster teamwork and collaboration among all healthcare providers and, above all, improve the health standards of Nigerians.
His words: “I was really excited when I saw the theme of this Expo, “Increasing access to healthcare in Nigeria: Strategic Partnerships to achieve Medicines’ Security and National Self Sufficiency” because it shows PMG-MAN is thinking about the health of the nation and the security of our people.
“Also being that the theme of the 90th Annual National Conference of PSN – “Medicines Availability and National Security” – is similar to your theme. The only route to achieve this is through partnership; collaboration, and more collaboration.”
Yakasai reiterated PSN’s commitment to increasing local production of pharmaceuticals.
“We have pursued this vigorously with sincerity of purpose since I resumed office; and going forward, we will continue in the same spirit of service – until we get all the stakeholders to understand the danger of continuous and almost total reliance on drug importation. Together we can create and develop a roadmap that will lead to increased capacity for local production in Nigeria”, he said.
He expressed optimism that the resolutions that would be reached at the end of the Expo, would chart a new course for the pharmaceutical sector in Nigeria and guide them towards medicines security in the country.
“As the implementation of National Drug Distribution Guidelines has been shifted to 1st January, 2019, we shall consolidate and conclude the deployment of Technology into Drug distribution channels in Nigeria”, he assured.
