Senator representing Lagos East, Senator Gbenga Ashafa has called on the Association of Community Pharmacist’s, to lead the charge in the fight against the abuse of over the counter and prescription pills.
He made this call as the chairman of the 2017 Edition of the Lagos Chapter of the Associations Day .Ashafa who was represented by Dr. Rotimi Adesanya a family Physician and Head of Senator Gbenga Ashafa’s Medical Outreach Team.
At the event which was themed “National development: The role of pharmaceutical sector” with a sub theme Building a healthy nation: role of community pharmacists”, the Senator commended the role of community pharmacists as first responders in the community health value chain.
While decrying the rise in the abuse of prescription medications and over the counter pills, which he described as dangers to National Development, the Senator stated that “At this juncture, I must state that the increased rate of drug abuse, particularly in the dispensation of over the counter medication has become very alarming and a threat to National Development. Drugs like, codeine, tramadol etc have been used as stimulants and narcotics by a large number of our youth.
“To this end, I sponsored a motion on the floor of the senate a Motion on Nigerians involvement in illicit Global Drug Trade and increase in Domestic Abuse by Nigerian Youths and a bill for the amendment of the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act. These legislative interventions seek to ensure that we overcome drug abuse in Nigeria.”
He concluded by charging the pharmacists not to sell drugs capable of being abused indiscriminately, stating that “I therefore seize this opportunity to reiterate my call that community pharmacists’ should lead the charge in ensuring that prescription medication are only sold upon presentation of the Doctor’s prescription. While every other over the counter medication that have been commonly abused, should only be sold when the need is justified.”