Health
THE Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) said it had sealed 38 pharmacies and 271 patent medicine shops across Ogun.
The Registrar of the council, Elijah Mohammed, at a news conference in Abeokuta, said they were sealed because of various offences.
Mohammed said the offence ranged from; operating without registration; failure to renew premises license; dispensing ethical products without the supervision of a pharmacist; poor storage and sanitary conditions.
He said that many of the premises did not have appropriate storage facilities, thereby exposing medicines to harsh environmental conditions.
Mohammed, who was represented by the Director, Enforcement PCN, Stephen Esumobi, said many of these factors caused degradation of medicines, thus making them harmful.
He also noted that many of the illegal outlets did not have qualified pharmacists to handle ethical medicines in their stores.
He decried the proliferation of illegal medicine shops across the country, which he said was necessitated by the lockdown, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The PCN registrar said the enforcement team of the council was in the state to inspect, with the aim to ensuring that all premises where medicines were sold, were registered.
He said that all medicine stores must fulfill all conditions with respect to location, storage facilities, environment, documentation, and personnel.
“At the end of the enforcement exercise, a total of 492 premises comprising 109 pharmacies and 383 patent medicine shops were visited.
“A total of 309 premises made up of 38 pharmacies and 271 patent medicine shops were sealed,” he said.
Some of the locations visited by the team include Abeokuta and its environs, Ilaro, Ikenne, Odogbolu, Ijebu-Ode, Ilese, Ibafo, Sagamu, Mowe, Ota and Ifo. (NAN)
– Jul. 17, 2020 @ 15:05 GMT |
Tags: 271 patent medicine stores in Ogun PCN seals 38 pharmacies
