PCN inducts 159 foreign trained pharmacy graduates

The Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) has inducted 159 graduates of pharmacy from foreign institutions.

Registrar of the council, Pharmacist Elijah Mohammed, in a statement on Sunday, said the inductees were successful in the first cycle of the 2021 Foreign Pharmacist Graduate Orientation Programme (FPGOP).

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He said that the registration for the second cycle of the programme had commenced.

“This second cycle has been scheduled to commence on August 15, 2021, and would be taking place at the University of Ilorin, Kwara State (North) and the University of Port-Harcourt, Rivers State (South),” he said.

He said the council recently conducted an accreditation exercise at the faculty of pharmaceutical sciences, Chukwuemeka Odumegu Ojukwu University, Anambra State; and also conducted re-accreditation exercises at the faculty of pharmaceutical sciences, University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, and faculty of pharmacy, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Sagamu, Ogun State.

He said in line with the ongoing efforts to achieve maturity level 3 in the Global Benchmarking Assessment by the World Health Organisation (WHO), PCN, along with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) held successful virtual meetings with the Global Benchmarking Team (GBT) of the WHO.

He said the sessions were targeted at the mock assessment of the level of compliance of national regulatory agencies to the earlier identified gaps during the last physical visit and subsequent virtual interactions.

“Successful attainment of maturity level 3 will enable Nigeria to be recognized by WHO for the production of vaccines, among other benefits,” he said.

The registrar said the council sealed a total of 348 illegal premises in Edo State in July. This comprised 84 pharmacies and 264 Patent Medicine Shops.

“While 22 compliance directives were issued to others for minor offences. The premises that were sealed were found not to be in compliance with the various regulatory provisions of the PCN mandate,” he added.

Pharm Mohammed enjoined pharmacists in the country not to relent in their efforts of protecting Nigerians as well as themselves in the face of the third wave of COVID-19, and Delta variant.