Health
Pharmacists seek end to dominance of doctors in health sector administration
The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) has called on President Bola Tinubu to intervene in what it described as the “institutionalised marginalisation” of non-physician professionals in Nigeria’s health and education sectors.
The call was made in a public memorandum signed by the National Chairman of the association, Pharm. Ambrose Ezeh, on Thursday.
Ezeh said that the Federal Government was enabling a pattern of physician dominance in key administrative positions by yielding to what he termed the “blackmail tactics” of doctor-led associations including the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN), and the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD).
The association further alleged systemic favouritism towards physicians in appointments to administrative positions such as Chief Medical Directors (CMDs) of Federal Health Institutions (FHIs), Provosts of Colleges of Medicine, and heads of health-focused universities.
The ACPN described the trend as “a thriving culture of blackmail” which it said was detrimental to inter-professional equity and the integrity of public institutions.
The memorandum also highlighted pay disparities between physician-lecturers and their non-physician colleagues, noting that doctors who combine academic and hospital duties often earn nearly double, while non-physicians are denied similar consultant status.
Ezeh also decried what he termed administrative incompetence and abuse of power in hospital governance, citing the example of Specialist Hospital, Irrua, where a senior pharmacist was allegedly removed for challenging improper procurement practices.
The ACPN criticised the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) for allegedly sidelining pharmacists in vaccine distribution planning, despite their role in the successful rollout of COVID-19 vaccines through community pharmacies.
The group also faulted the Federal Ministry of Health for its endorsement of the MEDIPOOL drug procurement initiative, saying it excluded key pharmaceutical stakeholders and called instead for the establishment of a Federal Drug Management Agency to promote transparent and inclusive supply chain practices.
The association concluded by urging the President to issue a directive to end the “outrageously incomprehensible dominance” of physicians in roles unrelated to clinical functions, warning that continued marginalisation of non-physician professionals could deter the youth from pursuing careers in healthcare.
“National growth and development will become stunted if the Federal Government does not wield the big stick. The time to act is now, in the public interest,” the statement said.
The ACPN’s stance adds to growing concerns over inter-professional rivalry and governance challenges within Nigeria’s health and education sectors.
Health
Stakeholders Applaud A360 Impact On Adolescent Health
Stakeholders in Nigeria’s health and development sector say the institutionalisation and scale-up of the Adolescent 360 (A360) Amplify project have greatly improved adolescent sexual and reproductive health outcomes in participating states.
They made this known at a dissemination meeting on the project on Thursday in Abuja.
It was implemented by the Society for Family Health (SFH) and partners, and later adopted into government systems following documented successes.
Launched in 2020, the A360 project was designed to provide adolescent girls with access to sexual and reproductive health information, youth-friendly services and economic empowerment opportunities.
The programme was implemented in Kano, Jigawa, Kaduna and Nasarawa States using a human-centred design approach that engaged governments, communities and young people to improve uptake of family planning and maternal health services.
Dr Aisha Sadiq, Permanent Secretary, Kaduna State Ministry of Health, said institutionalising A360 had delivered measurable improvements in adolescent health indicators and community wellbeing.
She said Kaduna currently provides A360 youth-friendly services in 623 Primary Health Care (PHC) centres.
The Matasan Mata Arewa (MMA) initiative, she added, had reached 75 communities and empowered more than 15,000 girls with entrepreneurship skills and seed capital.
According to her, more than 60,000 girls have accessed contraceptives through the programme, with a reduction in discontinuation rates as more young women sustain use and transition to maternal and child health services.
“These changes have shown a marked reduction in maternal mortality among those communities. It has also reduced negative neonatal outcomes,” she said.
Sadiq recounted an elderly woman’s remarks from a programme community, calling them a strong reflection of the project’s success.
“These girls have spent their whole lives believing they will remain tolerable liabilities to the husbands they marry, but now they are realising the value of becoming appreciated assets,” she quoted.
Sadiq added that Kaduna’s 16 per cent health budget allocation and the integration of A360 activities into the state’s 2025 Annual Operational Plan demonstrated sustained political commitment.
Also speaking, Dr Omokhudu Idogho, Managing Director, SFH, said the four implementing states had successfully embedded A360 approaches into government systems, community structures and routine health practices.
He was represented by Dr Kenechukwu Erichalo, Deputy Managing Director, Project Delivery.
Idogho said the project had reached more than one million adolescent girls with family planning services and engaged over 500,000 others with comprehensive sexuality education messaging.
“We recorded more than 50,000 antenatal care visits, ensuring that girls received skilled care that saved lives, and supported over half a million girls to learn income-generating skills,” he said.
He said A360 pioneered the MMA and Niger Girls models, demonstrating that culturally sensitive, human-centred programmes can succeed even in conservative communities.
“Our most significant achievement is institutionalisation. Today, all 1,750 A360-supported facilities are fully government-led,” he added.
Mrs Roselyn Odeh, A360 Project Lead, said the initiative was developed in response to poor adolescent health indices in the country.
She said the programme ensured respectful, youth-friendly services at PHCs and supported school reintegration and entrepreneurship for girls.
She said the decision to scale the programme in northern states was based on data.
“When you look at maternal mortality among young people, you know the section of the country it is coming from. Data drove our decisions in alignment with government priorities,” she said.
Odeh identified challenges including weak PHC infrastructure, funding gaps, commodity shortages and the need to engage husbands in conservative communities.
“But creatively, we worked with governments to mobilise domestic funding through health revolving funds and the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund,” she said.
Mr Sagir Musa, Commissioner for Youth, Jigawa State, assured of continued commitment from implementing states to sustain and expand the project’s gains.
“This project may be nearing closure, but for us, it has just begun. We have gone beyond its life cycle to embed its approaches in the things we do,” he said.
The dissemination meeting brought together policymakers, community leaders, development partners and beneficiaries to review lessons learned and outline future priorities for scaling adolescent health interventions nationwide.
(NAN)
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