ACPN Petitions FG, Berates Tunji Alausa Over Mandatory Use Of Local Needles, Syringes

The Association of Community Pharmacists (ACPN), has berated the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Tunji Alausa, over his direction that Federal government-owned tertiary health institutions must use locally-made syringes and needles.

The association over the weekend petitioned President Bola Tinubu over the development, noting that the move does not appear to align with the convention and protocol of the civil service in Nigeria.

Alausa had in a recent circular, directed Chief Medical Directors and Medical Directors of Federal government-owned tertiary health institutions to use locally-made syringes and needles.

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But in a letter tagged: “A Need for a Presidential Redress of the Gaffe by Dr. Tunji”, the ACPN described the circular as a misnomer in many aspects and ramifications.

The letter which was jointly signed by the National Chairman, Prince Wale Oladigbolu and the National Secretary, Pharm. Omokhafe Ashore said after a careful evaluation of the development, they posited that the circular does not appear to align with the convention and protocol of the civil service in Nigeria.

They said it was out of place for a Minister to sign a circular instead of a designated civil servant.

The letter reads in parts: “The desperation and a seeming ulterior motive by the Minister of State to get involved procedurally in what should have been the exclusive preserve of bureaucrats like the Permanent Secretary or other technocrats like the relevant Directors have led to avoidable errors.

“In the past few weeks, some notable leaders in healthcare and representatives of some of the various healthcare professional bodies cautioned the Hon. Minister on the need to exercise caution before banning the importation of medical consumables and devices as well as drugs in Nigeria.

“When Dr. Tunji Alausa visited Afrimedical Manufacturing and Supplies Ltd. syringe factory in Ota, Ogun State about mid-March, 2024 (the factory is purportedly owned by a major Presidential aspirant in the 2023 general elections) and began to mouth the need to ban the import of syringes in Nigeria, the cognoscenti of opinion was that the imperative demanded a requisite need assessment of needles and syringes in Nigeria against a scientific evaluation of the capacity utilization and installed capacity of the existing three factories which manufacture syringes in Nigeria.

“The ACPN as the technical group of the PSN, which is the natural habitat of the largest assemblage of producers and marketers of drugs, consumables, chemicals, medical devices and other health consumables remains a strong advocate of local manufacturing.

“The ethos and tenets of commerce suggest that Competitiveness brings out the best in terms of quality and pricing index. The advantage of consumers in all global assessments. Even if we choose to jeopardize WTO treaties to which we are signatories because of national interest must be guided by recent experiences in the commodity segment markets.