The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria has closed down 531 medicine outlets in the Federal Capital Territory for a range of offences. These include operating without registration, inadequate documentation, and stocking ethical products without pharmacist supervision.
Stephen Esumobi, the Director of Enforcement, revealed this to journalists in Abuja on Friday. The PCN, a Federal Government Parastatal, is mandated by the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria Establishment Act 2022 to regulate and oversee pharmacy education, training, and practice comprehensively.
Esumobi said, “The council’s National Enforcement team carried out a week-long enforcement exercise in the FCT, visiting 908 premises, including pharmacies, patent medicine shops, and illegal medicine outlets. The team sealed 531 premises, including 90 pharmacies, 144 patent medicine shops, and 297 illegal medicine shops.”
Esumobi noted that the council is working towards the use of technology to make drugs easily accessible to patients.
“PCN is developing software for people to source their drugs anywhere they are,” he said.
Esumobi emphasized the role of Artificial Intelligence in medical practices, underscoring that while AI is valuable, it cannot fully replace human interaction, particularly in contexts requiring verbal communication.
He urged the public to report any suspicions of illegal drugstores or practitioners via the PCN website. The PCN operates state and zonal offices, along with Pharmaceutical Inspection Committees and Patent and Proprietary Medicines Vendors Licence Committees, to oversee pharmacy practices across Nigeria.
Furthermore, the council has conducted orientation and ongoing education programs for proprietors of patent medicine shops in the FCT, ensuring compliance with regulations. The closure of the medicine outlets aims to promote the rational distribution and dispensing of safe, effective, and high-quality medicines throughout Nigeria’s healthcare system.
