Lagos Drug Safety in Jeopardy as Pharmacists Sound Alarm Over Manpower Crisis and Regulatory Inaction

Addressing the gathering, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, reinforced the gravity of the regulatory slump, warning that seamless access to restricted medications poses catastrophic risks to both human life and ecological systems. Abayomi argued that stringent barriers must be erected around controlled substances to curb rampant self-medication, antimicrobial resistance, and chemical residues entering the human food chain through livestock and aquaculture.

Highlighting the operational reality on the ground, state data reveals that over 50 to 60 percent of Lagos residents utilize Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendors (PPMVs), community pharmacies, and traditional practitioners as their primary entry point into the health system. To mitigate regulatory gaps without disenfranchising grassroots providers, the ministry proposed a "hub-and-spoke" framework. Under this model, fully licensed community pharmacists would oversee and support surrounding PPMVs through formal training, pharmacovigilance tracking, and structured patient referrals.

"You can be a medical professional and still practise quackery the moment you operate beyond the boundary of your licensed training," Prof. Abayomi warned, noting that point-of-care diagnostic devices will also face strict state accreditation to prevent misleading self-diagnosis.

The Todaynews.ng Strategic Analysis: The federal government's inaction regarding the PCN Governing Council represents an unacceptable breach of regulatory stewardship. Allowing bureaucracy to paralyze drug oversight in Africa's largest economic hub creates an ideal environment for illicit drug cartels and unethical practice. The Federal Ministry of Health must immediately inaugurate the statutory council while the Lagos State Government prioritizes emergency recruitment for the Directorate of Pharmaceutical Services before systemic failures cost innocent lives.