Pharmacists Call for Role in Primary Healthcare to Curb Medicine Misuse

Pharmacists in Nigeria are urging the federal and state governments to integrate licensed professionals into all Primary Healthcare Centres across the country. This move, they argue, is critical to addressing growing concerns over medicine misuse, poor patient counselling, and weak drug management at the community level.

The President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Pharm. Aliyu Tanko, stated that pharmacists are largely absent from many PHCs, especially in rural areas, undermining safe medication use and overall healthcare delivery.

“Full integration of pharmacists into national health programmes, particularly at primary healthcare levels, is part of our expectations from the government in 2026,” Tanko said.

The call comes as the government recently allocated N32.9 billion through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund to strengthen primary healthcare nationwide.

In a related appeal, the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria has requested that community pharmacies be officially designated as PHCs, citing their accessibility and role as often the first point of contact for patients.

Officials argue that deploying pharmacists to grassroots facilities would strengthen patient care, improve medication safety, and bolster public health efforts across Nigeria.