Reps direct Health Ministry to check indiscriminate sale of drugs

By Christiana Ekpa

The House of Representatives has called on the Federal Ministry of Health to develop a prescription policy to monitor indiscriminate sale of drugs in the country.
The House, which insisted such a policy must be enforced, charged the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria as a matter of urgency to close all illegal outlets of pharmaceutical products including open drug markets.
It mandated the ministry to ensure that only prescribed drugs are administered to patients by qualified health practitioners and sanction erring pharmaceutical outlets.
The House further urged the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, and the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control, NAFDAC, to partner with the Standards Organization, SON, Ministry of Information and National Orientation to continuously sensitize public awareness about drug abuse.
It tasked the Committees on Narcotics Drugs, Healthcare Services, National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control, NAFDAC, and Legislative Compliance to ensure compliance.
These resolutions followed the adoption of a motion titled: “Need to Curb Indiscriminate Sale of Drugs and Lack of Adherence to Prescription Policy in Nigeria”, sponsored by Hon. Adamu Ibrahim Gamawa.
The House noted the lack of a prescription policy on drugs and indiscriminate drug sales by druggists, pharmacists, patent medicine dealers, and street vendors, staffed by unqualified personnel which ultimately leads to antibiotic resistance and drug abuse.
It also noted that according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), there is a frightening surge in the issue of drug abuse and misuse in Nigeria with drug use prevalence statistics at 14,4% of productive age in Nigeria (15–65 years of age), which almost three times the global Drug use Prevalence (5.5%).
The House was concerned that a large percentage of drug abuse in Nigeria are prescription drugs obtained without proper prescription.
It was also worried that most of the drugs sold by illiterate and semi-literate drug hawkers are counterfeit, substandard, or expired, and therefore do not meet the quality, safety, and efficacy requirements of regulated medicines.
The House said it was also aware that various empirical studies showed that Drug abuse is a significant facilitator of extremism terrorism, violent crimes, and high school dropout, negatively affecting community health, security, and stability, according to consumer studies.