373 Unregistered Pharmaceutical Stores Shut in Kaduna

By John Shiklam in Kaduna

No fewer than 373 unregistered pharmaceutical and patient medicine stores in Kaduna State were shut down  yesterday by  Officials of the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) and armed security personnel for selling  drugs and other consumables to the public. The operation  carried out by officials of the PSN,  led  by the Director, Inspection and

Monitoring, Mrs. Anthonia Aruya said that the enforcement team of the Council had launched its raid against unregistered and unlicensed pharmaceutical and patent medicine stores across the country in order to save Nigerians from the use of drugs that were harmful and  dispensed  to them by unauthorised delears.

At a press conference in Kaduna yesterday, Mrs. Aruya said one of the core mandates of the PCN was ensuring rational distribution and dispensing of medicines that were safe, effective and of good quality to the public, stressing that  the proliferation of unlicensed patient medicine shops and pharmaceutical stores in most parts of the Northern states and Nigeria in general had constituted danger to Nigerians.

“What we observed in Kaduna State is that so many premises commenced operations without fulfilling minimum requirements. Some of these premises store products in environments where the quality safety and efficacy of pharmaceutical products cannot be guaranteed. 

“This exposes the public to serious danger. Others do not have the requisite knowledge or knowhow to handle the highly ethical drugs in their facilities. 

“This exercise is part of efforts by the PCN to reverse this ugly trend and improve on the level of Pharmaceutical services delivery to the good people of Kaduna State” she said. 

She explained that the  PCN enforcement teams had been in Kaduna State from the beginning of the week, adding that  the teams visited Barnawa, Mando, Kawo, Hanyin Banki, Unguwan Muazu,

Kikinau, Sabo, Kakuri, Makera, Unguwan Dosa, Badarawa, Unguwan Sanusi, Badiko, Tundun Wada, Kamazo, Unguwan Boro, Television, Unguwan Sarki, Malali, Unguwan Rimi, Rigasa nd several other areas within  Kaduna metropolis. 

She said following the raid,  many owners of unregistered facilities had been visiting the Kaduna zonal office of PCN  to regularize their registration status.

“At the end of the enforcement exercise a total of 435 premises comprising 44 Pharmacies and 391 Patent Medicine Shops were visited. A total of 373 premises made up of 15 illegal Pharmacies and 358 Patent Medicine Stores were sealed for various offences some of which are operating without registration with Pharmacists council of Nigeria, failure to renew premises license, dispensing ethical products without the supervision of a pharmacist, poor sanitary conditions among others”.