‘Our commitment to quality service is unshaken’

The Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists of Nigeria (AHAPN) has said that its commitment to provision of quality pharmaceutical services in Nigerian hospitals for the benefit of patients is unshaken. This was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of its 21st annual national scientific conference held in Sokoto. The theme of the conference was: Innovative Disruptions in Pharmacy Practice: A Road Map for Hospital and Administrative Pharmacy Practice in Nigeria.

According to the communiqué, specialisation in pharmacy practice is a modern concept and a model of practice that would engender excellence in pharmaceutical care. The conference identified mentoring as an innovatively disruptive tool in hospital and administrative pharmaceutical practice and submitted that it remains a basic requirement for engineering capacity building and also strengthening the practice skills of pharmacists. “Achievement and sustenance of excellence in practice shall be predicated on a concept of teamwork among pharmacists on one hand and between pharmacists and other members of the healthcare team, on the other hand,” it stated.

The keynote speaker at the conference, Professor Noel Wannang, emphasised that practitioners must embrace knowledge, specialisation and capacity building in order to secure a glorious future for pharmacy as a profession. Wannang, who is also the secretary-general of the West African Post Graduate College of Pharmacists (WAPCP), said other professions have embraced innovations and advancement through research and development, stressing that pharmacy as a profession cannot afford to be left behind.

The AHAPN national chairman, Dr. Kingsley Amibor, praised the Sokoto State government for hosting the annual conference, the first time ever in the Northwest zone of the country, with Kebbi and Zamfara states as co-hosts. While reeling out the achievements recorded in the last one year, Amibor stated that the association is on the verge of analysing the results of a national survey carried out among community pharmacists and hospital and administrative pharmacists in Nigeria on the desirability and modalities for practising pharmaceutical care in Nigeria.

“Our committee on drug use enlightenment has been making waves nationally, championing rational use of drugs and embarking on drug abuse campaigns all over the country. Our drug information and pharmaco-vigilance committee has also come up with modalities on how hospital-based pharmacists can carry out effective drug information and pharmaco-vigilance services (including techniques for making patient-based interventions) aimed at repositioning our practice.

“As part of the innovative disruptions, we are introducing for the first time in our history, a competition between our members on pharmaceutical care practices in tertiary institutions in Nigeria. The motive is to challenge pharmacists in various hospitals to begin to conform to our new philosophy of practice that we are canvassing for,” Amibor said.

Aside unveiling the maiden edition of membership directory, awards were presented to Governor Aminu Tambuwal and other worthy and long serving members. A past national chairman of AHAPN, Pharmacist Yakubu Maji Isah, was also sent forth.