Nigeria Content Online

The Pharmaceutical
Society of Nigeria (PSN), Ondo State Chapter, at the weekend protested
what they called ‘unmitigated discrimination’ between pharmacists and
other medical personnel by the state government.

The union noted
that the inequitable policy of the government, which places pharmacists
in Category B in the employment of medical personnel, as against their
medical doctor colleagues, who are placed in Category A, is unnecessary.

The State Chairman
of the PSN, Samuel Oluwaoromipin Adekola, who spoke in Akure, Ondo
State, at the celebration of this year’s World Pharmacy Day, said the
categorization was unacceptable to pharmacists in the state.

He added that the action of the state government was capable of causing disaffection between the two professionals.

“The association
has sent a memo to Governor Olusegun Mimiko on the need to address the
anomaly that is capable of causing crisis in the medical sector in the
state,” he said. “We want to state that the training of pharmacists was
never inferior to that of doctors.

“The Pharmaceutical
Society of Nigeria will like to inform Mr Mimiko that the latest
Pharmacy academic qualification in Nigeria is the Doctor of Pharmacy
Degree (Pharm D), a six-year university academic programme like the
Doctor of Medicine (MBBS degree).

Correct anomaly

“We, therefore,
wish to call on the governor to correct this anomaly, bearing in mind
the negative impact this grievous mistake may have on the various good
programmes of his administration in the health sector of the state,
particularly at a time when the federal government is sparing no effort
at achieving harmony in the health sector of our nation to the benefit
of our patients.”

Mr Adekola advised
Mr Mimiko to follow the footstep of Goodluck Jonathan, whom he said
recently set up a multidisciplinary committee to address various
anomalies among practitioners in the medical sector.

“Here in Ondo
State, the latest categorization has not been fair to pharmacists and
pharmaceutical practices. There is no basis for the discrimination. It
is appalling and we have reported the matter to the government,” he
said.

The chairman said that though members of the society do not believe
in going on strike to resolve the matter, they may declare
pharmaceutical services closed if the government refuses to address the
issue.