Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra state, has charged the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), to increase the adoption of technology to address some of the daunting challenges facing the health sector in the country especially as it concerns the administration, manufacturing and control of drugs.
Governor Obiano who spoke during the opening ceremony of the twenty-eighth annual conference of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria in Awka, over the weekend, also stressed the need for tertiary institutions to invest in the training of digital pharmacists that will drive the use of technology in pharmaceutical practice in Nigeria.
News Echo gathered that while declaring the conference open, Governor Obiano who was represented at the event by the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Vincent Okpala, said the state has enjoyed a robust relationship with the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria and pointed out that with the adoption of contemporary technology in their practice, there will be a better development in the manufacturing, distribution and quality control of drugs.
The Governor revealed that his administration has aligned with the pharmaceutical sector to realize the 2012 drug institution guideline by way of establishing committed health centers in the state and expressed delight with the work force of the association who are with the State government and their contributions to achieving the vision.
The Chairman on the occasion who is also the Executive Secretary Anambra State Health Insurance Agency, Dr. Simeon Onyemaechi stated that COVID-19 has revealed to the health sector the importance of technology, saying that the theme of the conference was apt as tele-medicine has replaced physical consultation and invited all to join the revolutionary trend of technology in medical practice.
The State Chairman of the PSN, Josephat Obasi spoke of their efforts at ending illegal drug distribution to safeguard the lives of Anambra residents while the chairman of the planning committee for the event, Mr. Benedict Nwaneki said that the event was designed to create deeper insight that will help pharmacists improve on their service delivery.
The keynote speaker, Kenneth Onuegbu acknowledged that drugs in the Nigerian market will continue to be of low standard because of obvious challenges, noting that while technology is key to addressing some of the issues, it is equally important to breed ICT-compliant personnel to drive the process.
