The Rivers State Government says the State Drug Store has been repositioned and stocked to provide essential drugs in all Government Health Institutions.
The State Chief Executive, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike stated this during the Pharmacy Resource Centre Fund Raising Luncheon organised by the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) Rivers State Branch at the Hotel Presidential Port Harcourt on Thursday 17th October, 2019.
Represented by his Deputy, Dr. Mrs. Ipalibo Harry Banigo Governor Wike said his Administration is committed to providing sustainable health care delivery services for the benefit of the present and future generation of Rivers State and its residents.
“It is for this purpose that, at the inception of this administration the State, Government ensured that dilapidated health facilities in the State were renovated, equipped and positioned to provide the needed health care delivery services to our people across the three senatorial districts”. He further quipped.
Governor Wike who commended the Rivers State Branch of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria for the initiative of putting together an event aimed at raising fund to provide infrastructures that would improve pharmaceutical services in the State, especially the Pharmacy Resource Centre (PRC), described it as timely in view of the heightening rate of drug abuse in Nigeria.
To further mitigate drug abuse in the State he directed the State Ministry of Health to reinvigorate its inspectorate unit to regularly visit pharmaceutical shops to tackle incidences of expired drugs as well as sales of drugs in open markets in the State, which according to him would go a long way in complementing the activities of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency in the State.
Governor Wike who expressed the State Government’s willingness to support the hosting of the 94th National Conference of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria tagged “Garden City 2021”, thanked the PSN for the award bestowed on him as the ‘Best Performing Governor in Infrastructural Development in Nigeria’.
In his remarks the President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria Pharm. Sam Ohuabunwa disclosed that the Pharmacy Centre when completed would be a one stop centre for obtaining information for any Nigerian who has cause to use medicine, as well as providing sustainability for the project. He stressing that the project is very significant because it is the first of its kind in this part of the world.
Also Speaking, Chairman of the occasion, Chief Onueze C.J. Okocha who described the Pharmacist as an important arm of the health sector in Nigeria expressed delight with the efforts of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria to ensure that drugs and medical consumables are not purchased freely without prescription as it ought to be, noting that self-medication can be very dangerous.
