Stakeholders in the health sector have urged Pharmacists to embrace innovation and create values, to ensure the successful implementation of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in the nation.
They made the call at the 2024 Continuing Education Conference organised by the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), Lagos Chapter.
The theme of the two-day conference was: “Strengthening community pharmacy practice for universal health coverage”.
According to Dr Kemi Ogunyemi, the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Health, all health practitioners have a role to play in ensuring that UHC becomes a reality.
Ogunyemi said: “The onus is on us as members of the healthcare team to make ourselves relevant and valuable in the scheme of things as far as the state healthcare project is concerned
“Pharmacists are major players in the healthcare sector of the state and you are valued.
“Let us come together, work as one, create values, make ourselves relevant, embrace innovations and do away with the mindset of ‘we are not needed”.
Speaking also, Prof. Cyril Usifoh, the President of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), said pharmacists must remain resolute and committed in contributing to the realisation of the universal health coverage in the country.
“Pharmacists are not in the country to compete with anyone, but to ensure that the average Nigerian benefits from healthcare services and to also contribute their quota in the realisation of the UHC.
“Pharmacists should be willing to work with the various state governments to ensure seamless healthcare delivery for Nigerians.
“Community pharmacists are already positioned to function well at the primary healthcare level to complement the efforts put in by other health personnel,” he said.
Also, President of APCN, Wale Oladigbolu, said that UHC in Nigeria faced the challenge of a fragmented healthcare system which is costly, broken, and disconnected, with no access to care, and rising costs of healthcare.
Oladigbolu noted said the solution to bridging the gaps in healthcare in the country and the achievement of universal healthcare was on the pharmacy profession.
He explained that community pharmacists services would make up for the shortage of healthcare personnel, resulting in effective healthcare coverage in the country.
Speaking earlier, the Chairman of ACPN Lagos Chapter, Tolu Ajayi, said the conference was initiated to ensure members of the association were kept abreast of latest trend in the profession.
“What we called excellence in life is simply continuous improvement, so we thought of how community pharmacists could continue to get better and become excellent at what we do.
“We stand on two legs, as professionals and business people with the aim to improve our practice, and strengthen the UHC,” Ajayi said.
