Covid-19: Pharmacists threaten to withdraw services for lack of protection

Community pharmacists have threatened to withdraw their services if continued work means continuous exposure to coronavirus.

Their condition is “if it becomes obvious that continuing rendering our services would be detrimental to our personal health and that of our family members without adequate attention from the government,” the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) said in a statement.

Over 60,000 community pharmacists in Nigeria are exposed to COVID-19 with the current trend of community spread of the virus, it warned.

The ACPN lamented that despite its members playing important roles among the health care professionals, government has not thought it needful to capture the contribution of Community Pharmacists in the ongoing fight against COVID-19.

It argues community pharmacists are exempt from among health care practitioners to receive protective gear in their services.

National Chairman of the ACPN, Dr. Samuel Adekola said, “The valuable service that Community Pharmacists and their teams provide to communities, and their significant contribution to alleviating the great pressure on health systems during the current coronavirus / COVID-19 pandemic, is now more evident than ever.”