As part of efforts to improve the quality of their services to patients, pharmacists in the country under the aegies of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria have developed the Vision 2050 strategy document, aimed at repositioning pharmacy practice in
Nigeria.
Unveiling the roadmap document in Lagos recently, President of PSN, Pharm. Ahmed Yakassai, said the document which critically reviewed all the aspects of pharmacy practice in Nigeria, was developed to enable pharmacists serve the patients better and to create values in the pharmaceutical industry through innovation and
collaboration.
Yakasai said there was need for pharmacists in the country to reposition themselves by embracing ICT in order to compete with their peers in the developed countries and also help in strategic management of patients beyond dispensing
drugs.
He noted that the strategic document was a product of multiple insights from internal and external factors, aimed at bringing positive result to the society, profession, consumers and the industry.
“PSN Vision 2050 is to move the profession to the next level of impact and progress in order for us to be at par with other successful pharmaceutical practices across the globe.
“We are determined to collaborate with industry and other major stakeholders, including governments, private firm, multi-lateral agencies and other healthcare professionals in order to play our role to help people of Nigeria live healthy, strengthening competitiveness by working on innovation and bigger contribution to the growth of our economy,” he said.
According to Yakasai, the vision of the society was to produce products with more value and quality, attract multinational investments, to develop a strategy to increase exports and create enabling environment for world-class professional pharmacy service delivery.
To further strengthen their practice, the PSN President said the society had launched a Pharma IT for online National Drug Distribution, in line with National Drug Distribution Guidelines (NDDG) and the PSN-pay to improve on the current manual process of collections made by PSN members and also reduce stress of capitation payment by pharmacists.
Stressing the need for collaboration in the health sector, Yakasai assured that as pharmacists, they were ready for promoting collaborative and responsive inter-professionalism in the sector.
“We sincerely believe that as healthcare practitioners, we must work together in the interest of the patients, in order to improve the quality of health of the nation, because together we are stronger,” he said.
