The Pharmacy Council of Nigeria has said it sealed no fewer than 12,740 illegal pharmacies and patent medicine stores between 2020 and 2022.
The Registrar of the council, Babashehu Ahmed, who disclosed this in a recent interview, noted that the commonest reasons for shutting down the shops included operating without registration with the council, followed by patent and proprietary medicine stores that operate beyond the scope of their licence, and pharmacists who do unethical things like selling controlled medicines, either without proper recording or without proper prescription.
Speaking on how to recognise registered pharmacies to avoid patronising quacks, he stated, “It is a requirement of the law that when you enter a facility that is registered and licensed, the license of the facility should be conspicuously displayed. In addition to that, we have a concept that is being promoted through the Association of Community Pharmacists; we usually have a sign with a green cross. Once you have that, it signifies that the facility is registered.”
He further said every registered pharmacy was meant to be under the supervision of a registered and licensed pharmacist, adding, “They will have no license to display. And nothing stops you, when you walk into a pharmacy, even if you want to buy just paracetamol, to ask for the pharmacist, because a pharmacist is supposed to be on duty.
The registrar said owners or managers of shops found wanting would be prosecuted.
