World Pharmacists Day: FG Pledges Stronger Support<\/p>\n
The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to empowering pharmacists to play a greater role in delivering quality, accessible and safe healthcare services to Nigerians.<\/p>\n
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, stated this on Thursday September 24 in Abuja at a ministerial press briefing to commemorate the 2026 World Pharmacists Day themed: “Think Health, Think Pharmacist” – with the global theme “Empowering Pharmacists for Healthier Futures”.<\/p>\n
Pate, who was represented by the Director Overseeing the Office of the Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Tetshoma Dafeta, described pharmacists as among the most accessible frontline health professionals, noting their critical role in medicines supply, preventive care, chronic disease management and rational use of medicines.<\/p>\n
He said in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the Ministry is advancing reforms to strengthen pharmacy practice, including expanding pharmacists’ roles in primary healthcare, promoting regulated e-pharmacy and digital health, supporting local pharmaceutical manufacturing and strengthening enforcement against substandard and falsified medicines.<\/p>\n
According to a statement by the Ministry’s Assistant Director of Information and Public Relations, Ado Bako, the Minister noted progress in clinical integration and pharmacovigilance, but stressed the need for sustained investment in workforce development, pharmacy education, residency programmes and research.<\/p>\n
“A healthier Nigeria is impossible without an empowered pharmacy workforce,” he said.<\/p>\n
In her welcome address, Director, Food and Drug Services, Mrs. Olufowubi-Yusuf Adeola, said pharmacists are critical to promoting safe use of medicines, counselling patients and preventing medication errors, adding that their accessibility positions them to support vaccination, antimicrobial stewardship and chronic disease management.<\/p>\n
She called for embracing innovations such as telepharmacy to improve access to pharmaceutical care.<\/p>\n
In goodwill messages, the Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, represented by Pharm. Chizoba Maduagwuna, described pharmacists as indispensable to medicine safety, while the DG of NHIA, Dr. Kelechi Ohiri, represented by Yusuf Ibrahim, said access to healthcare is incomplete without access to safe and affordable medicines.<\/p>\n
The National Coordinator of the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC), Dr. Abdul Mukhtar, represented by Muhammed Balarabe, said local pharmaceutical manufacturing cannot succeed without pharmacists.<\/p>\n
Development partners including M\u00e9decins Sans Fronti\u00e8res, SMOKO Nigeria Limited and Results for Development also commended pharmacists for their contributions to health outcomes.<\/p>\n
Earlier, Director, Pharmaceutical Services, Pharm. Talatu Kassim, thanked stakeholders for their support to the pharmacy profession.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
World Pharmacists Day: FG Pledges Stronger Support The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to empowering pharmacists to play a greater role in delivering quality, accessible and safe healthcare services to Nigerians. The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, stated this on Thursday September 24 in Abuja at a ministerial press […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":152518,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[356,18,20],"tags":[3476,2350],"class_list":["post-152516","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","category-news","category-the-nation","tag-coordinating-minister-of-health-and-social-welfare","tag-world-pharmacists-day"],"yoast_head":"\n