PCN, NBTE Abolish Pharmaceutical Technologists Training in Nigeria

*Council seals 751 pharmacies, patent medicine shops, others in Gombe

Segun Awofadeji in Gombe

The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) has achieved a major breakthrough in its effort to redress a lingering issue in the training of pharmacy support professionals, pharmaceutical technologists in the country by abolishing the certificate in the country.

This comes just as the PCN sealed 751 premises that sell drugs in parts of Gombe State for failure to meet the requirements of the council.
PCN Director of Enforcement, Stephen Esumobi, disclosed the closure of the premises during a press conference at the Gombe State office of the council wherein he noted that the affected premises include 39 pharmacies, 128 patent medicine shops and 584 illegal medicine shops.

However, the PCN in collaboration with the National Board of Technical Education (NBTE) announced an end to the training of pharmaceutical technologists by Polytechnics and other institutions in Nigeria, following a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the parties in Abuja recently.

PCN has over two decades made efforts to stop the training of pharmaceutical technologists by Nigerian Polytechnics and other institutions outside the control and supervision of schools or colleges of health education, whose programmes and training are not duly regulated by the national pharmaceutical administrative body.

According to the content of the MoU, PCN and NBTE agreed to accredit and train qualified candidates only for National Diploma in Pharmacy Technicians in approved institutions in the country.
By this development, pharmaceutical technology, a two-year programme offered by some Polytechnics and other institutions not supervised or regulated by the PCN has been scrapped.

Prior to the signing of the MoU by the parties under the chairmanship of Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Dr. Tanko Sununu, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education; pharmacy technicians undergo a three-year programme accredited by the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) in recognised colleges and schools of health education. And upon completion, candidates sit for the National Pre-Certification Examination (NPCE) examination; and if successful, are granted license by the PCN.
While, conversely, pharmaceutical technology is a two-year programme offered by Polytechnics and other institutions whose courses and training are not regulated by the PCN.

The Registrar/CEO of the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN), Pharm. Ibrahim Babashehu Ahmed, who described the development as a significant milestone, said, it signifies ‘’a collaborative effort towards resolving the issues pertaining the training of pharmaceutical technologists in Polytechnics and other institutions in Nigeria.’’

Ahmed, on behalf of PCN and NBTE, commended the leadership of the Ministry of Education for facilitating the resolving of the 22-year-old issue.

According to him, ‘’the feat is the hallmark of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the current administration of the nation being steered by the focused leadership of the Federal Ministry of Health and Education.’’

Meanwhile, in Gombe, the PCN Director of Enforcement, Stephen Esumobi, explained that the premises were  sealed for offences ranging from operating without registration with PCN, poor documentation, poor storage facilities, stocking of ethical products without the supervision of a pharmacist and sale of medicines in the open market.

Esumobi, pointed out that patent medicine shops are only permitted to sell over the counter drugs (drugs that need no prescription) adding that even pharmacies that are authorised to sell ethical drug (drugs with written prescriptions), there should always be a pharmacist available who can read prescriptions and give the buyer according to the prescriptions.

He, however, said that the sealed shops violated such guidelines, ‘hence the intervention of the council with a view to safeguarding public health and lives.