Pharmacist Council Seals 499 Premises over Professional Misconduct in Kwara

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

The Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) has sealed 499 pharmacies and medicine shops in Kwara State for professional misconduct.

Announcing this recently, the Registrar, PCN, Mr Elijah Mohammed said 30 of the premises are pharmacies, while 469 are patent medicine stores.

He said the enforcement was carried out in order not to allow the residents have access to illicit drugs that may affect their social wellbeing.

Mohammed, who spoke through the Director of Enforcement, Pharmacists Council of Nigeria, Mr. Stephen Esumobi said, ” PCN enforcement team has been in Kwara since the beginning of this week with the aim to ensure that all premises where medicines are sold are registered, and have fulfilled conditions with respect to location, storage facilities, environment, documentation and personnel.

“At the end of the enforcement exercise, a total of 687 premises comprising 98 pharmacies and 589 patent medicine shops were visited.

“A total of 499 premises made up of 30 pharmacies and 469 patent medicine shops were sealed for various offences; some of which include operating without registration with PCN, failure to renew premises licence, dispensing ethical products without the superior of a pharmacist, poor storage and sanitary conditions among others.

“Twelve pharmacies and patent medicine shops were issued compliance directives.”

The registrar also said one of the identified weaknesses in the drug distribution chain was the proliferation of illegal medicine shops which has become worse since the COVID-19 lockdown.

He said many of the premises do not have appropriate storage facilities thereby exposing medicines to harsh environmental factors like high temperature and humidity as some other medicines that are photosensitive are exposed to direct sunlight which causes degradation of medicines thus making many of them harmful.