As the 91st Conference of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) draws near, many qualified candidates will be jostling for various positions but only one can emerge for the respective positions.
We shall be examining the efforts and prospects of one of the candidates, the current chairman of the PSN Oyo state chapter, Pharm. Abiodun Ajibade.
Pharmacist Abiodun Ajibade's dedication to the course of the PSN dates way beyond the time he took office as the Oyo state chairman of the society. Since assuming office however, he has further demonstrated his commitment to moving the society forward.
He has never shied away from championing the course of his beloved PSN whenever the opportunity presents itself.
At a news conference to herald the activities to mark a recent Pharmacy week he called on the Federal Government to boost local manufacturing of drugs to enhance healthcare delivery in Nigeria.
He stressed that government’s encouragement of local manufacturing of drugs would reduce Nigeria’s heavy dependence on Forex and increase employment, and open up a verse need area which other sectors would take advantage of.
Ajibade said that pharmacists are ready to partner with government to establish for a pharmaceutical farm where all infrastructural facilities would be available.
According to him, infrastructure like constant electricity, low tax regime, support for equipment procurement and leasing, incentives for locally made drugs would make the much awaited paradigm shift possible.
He said that if government made these infrastructures available pharmaceutical companies could become a hub, engaging other industries into economic activities and many cottage industries would spring up in meeting the demands of the industry.
The chairman also urged government to take proactive steps like China and India, which were currently the global pharmaceutical industrial hub.
“They leveraged on their enormous population to offer cheap manpower that supported the industry. Nigeria has as much as 65 per cent of its population as youth and as much as 70 per cent of this youth are unemployed. This is a big waste of economic progenitors. Nigeria needs to diversify her economy and stop relying on oil for income. It is our expectation as a society that the Oyo state would take advantage of this year’s conference in its drive to ensure economic independence,” he said.
In a similar development, while presenting drugs worth N344,000 to the state Ministry of Health on behalf of the PSN, Pharm. Abiodun Ajibade seized the opportunity to appeal to the Oyo state government to employ more pharmacists to work in the various public hospitals in the state for efficient healthcare delivery to the people.
He said, “I will like to reiterate the need to employ more pharmacists to man many of the health facilities in the state. There is also the need for refurbishing and face-lifting of many of the pharmacies in the hospitals.
Our donation of drugs in the sum of N344,000 today is to make a statement that the PSN, Oyo State branch, is solidly behind the N50bn Health Endowment Fund, which was recently launched in the state.”
Recently, he highlighted the relevance of Pharmacists in the health care delivery, he stated that pharmacists are the most important in people when it comes to health interventions as no health care delivery is complete without the input of pharmacists.
He has indeed flied the flag of the PSN very high. It would therefore be deserving if he is giving the role of the mouthpiece of the PSN in Nigeria at the end of the forthcoming 91st conference of the PSN – Oluyole 2018.
