Nigeria has been described as Africa’s largest drug market, with over 70 percent of its drugs imported from India and China which are considered the “biggest source of fakes, a Specialist in DP and Quality Control from the University of Abuja, Pharm Stephen Chubiyojo has said.
Speaking during his presentation titled, “Overcoming the Scourge of Counterfeit Medicine in Africa” at the on-going International Conference on Hospital Management and Administration (ICOHMA ) in Abuja, he said, the fight against counterfeit medicines in Nigeria and Africa as a whole is still at the foothills.
Pharm Chubiyojo said, an alarming proportion of the total drugs in circulation in many Africa countries are substandard explaining that the harmful effect of Counterfeit Drugs (CDs) stretches from the people to businesses.
“Up to around 1 million innocent people can lose their lives around the globe every year, as a result of CDs related cases. CDs are a major global public health risk. The global CDs trade is a multi-billion dollars industry which is steadily flourishing in Africa.”
He said “In the past one decade the Western, armoury of sophisticated response has successfully adapted to the challenges of counterfeit medicines. We can replicate same in Nigeria and Africa over through the use of an authentication device such as Rxscanner, because hospitals generate 90% of prescriptions.”
Also speaking during the conference ,Barrister Halita Adekunle, NISA Premier Hospital in her presentation titled, “Between the Patient Bill of Right and Staff Safety’ said, the Patient Bill of Right is a list of guarantees for those receiving medical care which may take the form of a law or a non-binding declaration.
She said: “The Bill is an aggregation of patient’s rights that exist in several instruments including the following; the 1999 Constitution, National Health Act 2014, the Consumer Protection Council Act, Freedom of Information Council Act, Medical and Dental Practitioners Act etc., Code of Medical Ethics and others.”
She listed some of the rights patients can enjoy as the right to be informed in the language the person understands, rights to timely access to detailed and accurate medical records and available services, Right to transparent billing and full disclosure of any costs, including recommended treatment plans, and right to clean, safe, and secure healthcare environmentsamong others.
She also added that patient has a responsibility to play while receiving treatment adding that patient must as the provider about their current diagnosis, treatment plan, risk or complication.
Also speaking, the CEO, Spinal Bifida and Hydrocephalus Care Foundation of Nigeria, Olubunmi Aiyedun said we must we must strengthen Nurses and Midwives services in the country to achieve universal health coverage.
