The Daily Crucible | Saturday, September 24, 2022
By Ayobami Ife, Abeokuta
The Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) has sealed no fewer than 342 premises - Pharmacies and Patent Medicine Stores (PMS), within a week in Ogun State for alleged contravening of the PCN laid-down storage and safety protocols in the business of drugs distribution and dispensing.
The PCN also arrested one person in Abeokuta, the state capital, for allegedly engaging in fraudulent collection of money meant for premises registration and renewal from unsuspecting applicants and issued them with fake remmital receipts.
The PCN head of enforcement department, Pharm. Stephen Esumobi, disclosed these to newsmen yesterday in Abeokuta, the state capital.
He explained that the affected pharmacies and PMS centers violated the council's 19 compliance directives, which were the minimum standards for storage of medicines in the country.
The offences according to Esumobi, ranged from operating without registration or renewal of premises certificate; unauthorized sales of substances of abuse; poor sanitary; poor storage to operating without a certified superintendent pharmacist among others.
He disclosed that the weeklong enforcement exercise, which began on September 19, 2022 was carried on Ifo, Owode, Sagamu, Abeokuta, Ogere and Ijebu area of the state.
Esumobi said that the affected pharmacies and PMS centres would be given a month window grace to regularize their status for remaining in the business while the Council will provide the needed assistance for those affected centers to enable them evacuate drugs that have low safety margins.
While reiterating that PCN was not interested in chasing any vendor and dealer out of business, but encourage them to always engage in the best standard practice, Esumobi however, declared that PCN would not hesitate at applying the full wrath of the law against any recalcitrant vendor.
According to him, PCN has two standing committees on ground in the state which responsibility is to engage in continuous monitoring and follow up inspections of those pharmacies and medicine shops.
Esumobi, who declined the identity of the person arrested for allegedly defrauding stakeholders in the drugs distribution chain in Ogun State, however, maintained that suspect will be charged to court as soon as the judicial holidays being observed by the court was over.
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