PCN seals 355 illegal medicine stores in Jigawa

From Mika’il Tsoho, Dutse

Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) in Jigawa State has sealed off no fewer than 355 alleged illegal medicine outlets in the state.
It was gathered that a total of 355 premises were sealed off, which include 8 pharmacies, 87 patent medicine shops, and 260 illegal medicine stores.
This was disclosed by the Director Enforcement of PCN, Pharmacist Stephen Esumobi while briefing news men at federal Secretariat, Dutse.
Esumobi explained that, the team visited the state as part of continuation of PCN’s current drive to streamline the drug distribution system in Nigeria.
He said: “This is to ensure that all medicines remain safe effective and of good quality as they pass through different stakeholders at various levels of the drug distribution chain until they get to the consumers.”
He also pointed out that, various premises were operating illegally as they were never registered by the PCN in Jigawa state.
According to him, many patent medicine shops also stocked large quantities of medicines that are outside their approved drug list and also far beyond their scope.
The Director enforcement said the storage conditions in most of the premises visited were found to be inadequate thus exposing products to degradation.
He added that illegal medicine dealers were also found to engage in the sale of substances of abuse to members of the public as a result aggravating the social and security challenges emanating from the illicit use of these medicines.
Esumobi revealed that the local government areas visited include Dutse, Hadejia, Birnin Kudu, Gwaram, Ringim, Taura, Birniwa and Guri.
He added that others include; Mallam Madori, Jahun, Kiyawa, Garki, Gumel, Kazaure, Roni, Gagarawa, Buji, Kafin Hausa, Kaugama, and Auyo.
According to him, at the end of the exercise, 457 premises were visited by the PCN team, noting that this made up of 19 pharmacies, 178 patent medicine shops and 260 illegal premises.
The team leader said all the affected pharmacies and shops were sealed for offences ranging from unauthorized sale of substances of abuse, wholesale premises engaging in retail, sale of medicines without documentation, operating without registration with PCN among others.
He added that two arrests were made; for allegedly breaking PCN seals, and obstructing inspectors.
He noted that the Registrar of PCN, Pharmacist Ibrahim Baba Shehu Ahmed is currently repositioning the PCN to strengthen its surveillance and enforcement activities nationwide with the aim of improving the quality of pharmaceutical services in premises across the 36 states including the FCT.