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Between NAFDAC And Fake Drugs
The fight against fake drugs has over the years been a national question in the nation’s polity. As it were, the National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) was established to reduce to the barest minimum the sales of adulterated drugs across the country’s cities, towns and villages.
But in the recent past, the sales of fake drugs in the country by those ubiquitous medicine dealers have reached a frenetic and feverish pitch. This unfortunate development points to the fact that the effort of the officials of NAFDAC to halt the sales of counterfeit drugs appears not to have yielded the desired result.
Oddly enough, Nigerians are inundated with daily reports on the discovery of patent medicine shops selling adulterated drugs to members of the public. More worrisome is the fact that this is happening in the major cities where NAFDAC personnel are supposedly operating regularly.
Not too long ago, NAFDAC authorities shut over 200 patent medicine shops in Cross River State.
The Deputy Coordinator of NAFDAC in the state, Abdulkarim Razaz who announced this in Calabar said the campaign against fake drugs would continue as long as patent drug dealers did not discontinue in the nefarious trade of selling counterfeit drugs.
While commending the effort of NAFDAC personnel for shutting down over 200 patent medicine shops in the state, one is at a loss to understand why over 200 fake medicine shops were still operating in the state, right under the nose of officials of NAFDAC serving in that state.
Beyond that, the authorities of NAFDAC must spread their dragnets to all the nooks and crannies in the state in order to apprehend more patent medicine stores, still selling fake drugs. This , would in no means way, reduce (drastically) the danger being faced by consumers of fake drugs in the state.
Only recently, it was discovered that over 90 per cent of the pharmaceutical and patent medicine stores in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, sell adulterated drugs to members of the public. This is indeed, sad, to say the least!
Mr Momodu Segiru, Director of the Port Harcourt Inspectorate Directorate of NAFDAC, said the discovery followed a mechanical test carried out recently on drugs in circulation in the Port Harcourt metropolis, and announced that the test was part of the agency’s nationwide sensitisation campaign to ascertain the level of fake and substandard drugs in circulation with the aim of mopping up dangerous drugs and identifying their sources.
According to Mr Segiru, the exercise was also to demonstrate the use of the “true scan” equipment for on the spot testing of drugs, and noted that the machine (true scan) has indeed, brought some speed and accuracy in NAFDAC’s operations, as massive failure was recorded in Choba, Mile One and some other areas of Port Harcourt.
To the chagrin of NAFDAC officials, it was also discovered that all the drug stores tested in Rumuokwurusi and Woji areas of Port Harcourt, recorded failure in one drug or the other, an obvious indication that very limited wholesome drugs are in circulation in Port Harcourt and its suburbs.
All said,with the , discovery that over 90 per cent of drugs sold in patent medicine shops in Port Harcourt are fake, it is certainly not an overstatement that the life of most residents are now in great danger, apparently caused by those ubiquitous patent medicine dealers. Indeed, it also rubbished the image of NAFDAC, as the agency charged with the responsibility of policing the manufacturers and wholesalers of fake drugs in the country.
The question now is: what were the officials NAFDAC in Port Harcourt doing when the spate of fake drugs in circulation got to 90 per cent level? Undoubtedly, this is an indication that the agency’s personnel are not doing enough to nip in the bud the antics of adulterated drug dealers.
Again, if 90 per cent of the pharmaceutical and patent medicine shops in Port Harcourt sell counterfeit drugs to members of the public, then only heavens know the spate of fake drugs being sold in the 23 local government areas of the state. This is why NAFDAC personnel must wake up from their stupor and move into the grassroots in order to halt the trend.
Obviously, Rivers and Cross River states are not the only states enveloped in the sale of fake and counterfeit drugs.
Therefore, NAFDAC authorities must beef up their investigations into the existence of patent medicine shops, dealing on fake drugs in the country.
One’s position on this touchy issue is premised on confirmed reports that the nation’s cities, towns and villages are again facing the emergence of patent medicine shops, selling fake drugs to unsuspecting members of the public
That being so, one believes that the time has come for the authorities of NAFDAC to set up a technical committee in every state of the federation, that would monitor (on regular basis) the sale of counterfeit drugs in the cities, towns , and villages in the country.
Yes, NAFDAC’s desire to win the war on fake drugs, can only be achieved if the agency carries its investigations to the vi llages because, it has been confirmed that counterfeit drugs are sold with ease in the nation’s villages than cities and towns.
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