The Clinical Pharmacists Association Of Nigeria (CPAN) hereby places on record her total condemnation of the position of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association Of Nigeria (MDCAN) , and the Association Of Provosts Of Colleges Of Medicine in Nigeria ( APCOM) over their recent Press statements on the Bill titled: A bill for an Act to amend the University Teaching hospitals ( Reconstitution of Boards) Act, Cap U15 LFN 2004. The Bill was sponsored by Hon.Bamidele Salam , representing Ede North/Ede South/Egbedore/Ejigbo Federal Constituency.
CPAN is a registered body corporate of Clinical pharmacists in Nigeria (and in diaspora) with the fundamental aims and objectives to provide direct healthcare to individual patients and the general population through advanced Clinical Pharmacy services. CPAN believes that Nigerian people deserve and should get optimal healthcare that fits global best practices, and that achieving this goal should override any other chauvinistic professional interests and considerations.

Some other Aims and objectives of CPAN include;

(1) To foster and support excellence in clinical pharmacy practice, research and education so that practitioners can provide outstanding patient care.

(2) To collaborate with other healthcare specialists, governments and NGOs ( Non governmental Organizations ) to develop clinical pharmacy practice guidelines that will be used in all healthcare settings as essential sources of pharmacotherapy and pharmaceutical care towards improving the health of the community at large .

(3) To maintain a pool of relevant data on pharmaceutical care, adverse drug reactions or toxicities , pharmacotherapy etc , and make this available to other members of the healthcare team and the general public as the need arises.

4) To advise the government and policy makers on aspects of pharmaceutical care in particular and health care in general.

5) To encourage collaborative health care practice amongst the multidisciplinary healthcare teams in line with international best practice.

CPAN as an international clinical Pharmacy Association domiciled in Nigeria, finds it difficult understanding the statements credited to both MDCAN and APCOM in various News media recently about the health bill , claiming that Physician led hospitals are universally better managed than non physician led hospitals. We hereby state that such claims lack verifiable evidence and are aimed at misinforming the general public and our lawmakers.

For instance, in the US, according to publicly available publications; physician CEO of the nearly 6,500 US hospitals declined from 35% to 4% as of 2009.
The US has steadily embraced trained hospital managers (who could be physician or non physicians) over time.
Gunderman R, Kanter SL. Perspective: Educating physicians to lead hospitals. Academic Medicine. 2009 Oct 1;84(10):1348-51.

In South Africa, a medical degree is not a requirement to be hospital CEO.
But the person has to be a health worker.
“It clearly stated that the basic requirement is that whatever the qualifications of an individual are, they must first and foremost be a health worker.”
https://www.gov.za/health-minister-dr-aaron-motsoaledi-press-statement-appointment-hospital-ceos

CPAN is not opposed to any particular healthcare professional group members being the heads of Nigeria’s university teaching tertiary hospitals, but we in CPAN are deeply concerned about the continued deleterious outcome of sacrificing competence and merit on the altar of ego of a certain group of Nigeria’s health care Professionals.
The continued decadence and downward trend of the critical comparable health indicators in Nigeria for several decades now is the strongest evidence against status-quo.

Now is the time to change; we cannot continue to do the same things the same way and expect a different result. The Health Bill in reference should be appropriated and allowed to be passed after a constructive debate on the floor of the Nigeria National Assembly.
Our national health indices represent a national embarrassment to us Nigerians in the committee of nations.

The issue should also be about global best practices in the right sense of the clause as quoted by APCOM and MDCAN in several press releases.
What is proper, is that physicians who get such apex appointments should be hired based on merit and competence , and not based on their first degree, because this is not the practice anywhere known to us in the world.
The position of the Chief Medical Director is indisputably a top management position , and not a direct patient care or clinical position.

Globally, it is clear that there are basically two criteria required for top management positions such as headship of hospitals.
The criteria are qualifications and cognate experience.
Generally, anyone vying for the position of headship of hospitals must have the relevant qualifications. It could be a Masters in Business Administration (MBA), Masters in Health Management, Masters in Health Administration or Masters in Medical Management or other equivalent administrative postgraduate qualifications .
This is the area MDCAN and APCOM are expected to be looking at, as observed in many countries with enviable health care systems.

MDCAN and APCOM admitted that Nigeria’s healthcare sector is an ailing one, yet they do not want to agree that the country needs to change her ways of doing certain things especially the way of managing our health sector.
It is painful to see MDCAN describe this God inspired Bill as obnoxious, without remembering that continually doing the same thing in the same way, and expecting different results is nothing but complete madness.

Therefore CPAN hereby wishes to describe the call or bill for a reform in the process of appointing Hospital Heads in Nigeria as a heroic one. No well exposed and informed, except a selfish person and an enemy of health seeking Nigerians, will oppose such a laudable proposed bill by our lawmakers.

May we remind the duo of MDCAN and APCOM that setting aside the sponsored bill will bring an end or death of the already sick Nigeria’s health care sector.
Contrary to the assertion by MDCAN and APCOM that the sponsor of the bill is a lawyer , and therefore not competent to understand happenings in the health sector, it should rather be a welcome development by every Nigerian, because lawyers are conversant with jurisprudence, ethics and bureaucracy of the different professions; and this is why lawyers are frequently used in management of affairs in many developed countries. Kudos to Nigeria’s President ( Muhammadu Buhari) who just appointed a lawyer as Minister Of State for health.

CPAN hereby advocates that the National Assembly should as a matter of urgency and necessity as well as of obligation, amend and pass the bill as sponsored by Hon Salam in the interest of Nigerians, to usher in growth, competition, comparison , and leapfrogging of Nigeria’s health index on the international space.

Furthermore, it is important to emphasize that cognate experience in management is critical in holding top jobs all over the world. But how many of the Chief Medical Directors (CMDs) and CMAC ( chairman, medical advisory committee) jobs in contention, are being held by those with relevant and adequate cognate experience in management or administration, especially when it involves human resources? This is what the bill currently on the floor of the National Assembly seeks to address.

A good number of Nigerian physicians who currently head hospitals are associate members of professional management bodies, and were awarded those titles as a form of recognition ( not on merit of academic training of the recipients) by the professional management Associations.
Therefore such recipients do not actually have the academic or experience requirements.

CPAN will like to cite examples,of heads of hospitals in different countries as seen below;

1) Ms Angela Nolan a chattered Accountant is the CEO of St. Vincent Hospital Melbourne, Australia.

2) Karen Davis, a nurse is the CEO of St.Thomas Hospital, Ontario.

3) Mr David Probert is the CEO of University College Hospital London (NHS) , Foundation Trust (A Racer).

4) Mandeline Bell, a Nurse is the current President/CEO of Children’s Hospital Philadelphia.
This hospital is one of the top ranked children hospital in the USA., and ranked number one , on Forbes 2022 list of America’s best largest employers.

5) Gladys Bogoshi, a Physiotherapist is the current CEO of the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital ( Wits University)
She has a Masters degree in public health for hospital managers.

6) Regina Cummingham ( a Nurse) is the CEO of the hospital of the university of Pennsylvania.

Finally, it is sad that the MDCAN and APCOM are trying to compare apples with oranges, and aim at misleading our lawmakers by stating that other healthcare professionals are paramedics and support staff. Suffice it to say that the leaders of MDCAN who made the misleading press statements have “murdered grammar.”.
Paramedics or support staff is never a nomenclature used to describe other health care Professionals such as Nurses, Pharmacists, Optometrists, Physiotherapists etc , anywhere in the world. Paramedics denote a distinct set of health care providers.

MDCAN and APCOM, also argued that a priest heads a Catholic church while a Judge heads a court. If one may ask; is the church or a court , a multicomponent sector comprising of multiple service professionals like the health sector?
Why are they not looking at the Structural/Building team made up of various professionals such as Architects, builders, surveyors, engineers etc?
Whose exclusive right as any one profession, it is to head the Building team?
What about the defence team with the Army, Air force, Navy etc?

Which particular one professional soldier group has it as an exclusive right to head the Ministry of defence?

They argue that the Vice Chancellor of Universities must be an academic. What a lame argument !
Are academics or Vice Chancellors all of one particular Profession?
MDCAN and APCOM may also require tutoring on what constitutes a profession and Professionals, if they feign ignorance because of selfish reasons.
The health team comprises the health care Professionals and even the patients inclusive, and is never a monocomponent team of a particular set of professionals , like the legal team or the clergy . .

Our Recommendations.

CPAN will like to recommend some options to the National Assembly as concerns the headship of hospitals, so as to address issues raised by all concerned parties.

There can be the CEO management pathway of headship and the Clinical services Pathway ( Medical Director).
The CEO management pathway has to do with human and other material resources management, while the other pathway ( Clinical services management or CSM ) has to do with management of diverse disease conditions.
Interestingly, both positions can coexist side by side as seen in some countries, but the CEO is higher in rank than the CSM(medical director) even if the latter may collect higher remuneration based on some clinical practice perks.
The head of the clinical services team (CSM) can be appointed based on the situation as it bothers on direct individual patients care.

In that case a physician with a postgraduate qualification can always be the head, while a Pharmacist, Nurse, Physiotherapist or other clinicians should be appointed as deputy head by the hospital/appointing authority.
Then, there can still be the position of Director of Administration which also forms part of the management cadres.
But the CEO who must be highest in rank, must not necessarily be a physician or other health care Professional as he is never there to treat patients directly, but to manage the hospital more effectively.
If this is adopted, we believe that the baseless claim by some Physicians that patient care may be negatively affected must have been addressed.

Suffice it to ask again, what is the job of the different directors of medical services, Pharmaceutical services, Nursing Services etc?
If we have all the above mentioned directors who are professionals from the specific fields directing the clinical concerns of patients in our hospitals, what else do MDCAN and APCOM want the CMD whom they argue must be a physician, to be directing at the Patients’ bedside before the hospital can do well?

CPAN once again wishes to use this opportunity to commend the laudable efforts of Hon. Bamidele Salam in particular, and the National Assembly in general for their efforts towards transforming Africa’s most populous nation’s health sector through the amendment and expected expeditious passage of the concerned bill.
All the examples of headship of hospitals across the world which we have cited here can be verified by our indefatigable law makers, and even the press who constitute the watchdog of the society.

TOGETHER WE CAN GET IT RIGHT FOR HEALTH CARE IN NIGERIA.

Thanks.

Signed.

Dr Moteehat Bukkie Olu-Lawal PharmD, MCPAN, MPH, FPCPharm.
National Secretary

Dr Joseph Madu PharmD, FPCPharm, DCPharm, MAW, MCPAN, FPSN
National Chairman

The post THE POSITION OF THE CLINICAL PHARMACISTS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA ( CPAN) ON THE HEALTH BILL CURRENTLY BEFORE THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY . first appeared on CPAN WORLD.

Federal lawmakers have expressed their support for a private member bill for an Act to amend the University Teaching Hospitals (Reconstitution of Boards etc.) Act, 2004,’ sponsored by Hon. Bamidele Salam.

Tribune reports that members of the House of Representatives on Wednesday expressed overwhelming support for a bill that seeks to reconstitute the Governing Boards of Federal University Teaching Hospitals across the country.

Hon. Salam, a member representing Ede North/Ede South/Egbedore/Ejigbo Federal Constituency of Osun State who spearheaded the debate explained that the bill seeks to restructure the composition of the Governing Boards of tertiary health institutions with a view to making them more vibrant and efficient.

The Bill further aims to: “review the terminology of the heads of the hospitals, redefine the qualification of the Head of hospitals, provide a definite tenure of office of the heads of the hospitals, including students of Health Sciences in the training programmes of the hospitals and include hospitals established post-enactment of the extant legal framework in the schedule and for other related matters.”

Hon. Salam said “It could be recalled that, currently, the terminology used in referring to the Head of tertiary health institutions in Nigeria is called ‘Chief Medical Director’. He is accountable to the Board of the institution. The Chief Medical Director is responsible for the execution of policies and matters affecting the day to day management of the affairs of the Hospital.”

“Before one can be qualified to be appointed as CMD, the person must be Medical/Dental Practitioner registered with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria of not less than 10 years post qualification.“

“In addition, the person must be a fellow (s) of either the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria or the West African Postgraduate Medical College or its equivalent registered by Nigeria’s Medical and Dental Council.

“Furthermore, the person must have been a consultant for a minimum of 5 years. Administrative qualification and experience is only an added advantage, amongst others. The Medical/Dental Practitioners who solely enjoy the privilege of being made the Chief Medical Director constitute not more than 5% of the total number of medical personnel in the Health Industry.

“The current legal regime excludes other health professionals – Pharmacists, Nurses, Social workers, Occupational therapists and physiotherapists, Psychologists, Bereavement Counsellors, Paramedics, Dieticians, Lab Scientists’ and Speech Pathologists, amongst others- from becoming a Chief Medical Director.

“Section 5 of the Principal Act, which provides for the appointment of the CMD, also provided the functions of the Office of the CMD, which includes: the execution of policies and matters affecting the day to day management of the affairs of the Hospital. A cursory study of these responsibilities reveals that the burden is purely administrative; it has nothing to do with a particular professional in the health profession.

“In the United Kingdom, to become a hospital administrator, one doesn’t have to be a medical practitioner. All you need is to be a Graduate from High School (4 years); Obtain a Bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration, business administration, or a clinical discipline (4 years); and a master’s degree in healthcare administration (MHA) or a related graduate degree (2 years).

“In the United States, there isn’t one specific path to follow to get a hospital administrator’s job. You may begin your career in some other role with that goal in mind (some start as Doctors or Nurses) and be promoted to the position. However, it’s common for hospital administrators to earn a relevant degree—and an increasing number of employers now require a master’s as well.

“Generally speaking, there are four basic steps to becoming a hospital administrator: Get a bachelor’s degree in health systems management and health services or related disciplines; Get a master’s degree in n hospital administration or healthcare administration; Gain experience and other certifications such as American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) Accreditation or Certified Medical Manager (CMM) Accreditation etc.

“It is clear from the above cross-country discussion that to be appointed as a Chief Executive Officer, one doesn’t have to be a medical doctor. Persons with Bachelor’s in Management or Administration with requisite experience can be appointed to head a hospital. Similarly, in the composition of the Board of the Hospitals, other critical stakeholders were not included. Greater attention was only paid to medical doctors.

“Against this background, this Bill is proposed to address all these challenges and include all other health professionals in the capacity building and administration of the Federal Hospitals in Nigeria and related issues,” he noted.

Hon. Salam who solicited the support of members explained that the objectives of the Bill seek to, “review the terminology of the heads of the hospitals; redefine the qualification of the Head of hospitals; provide a definite tenure of office of the heads of the hospitals; including students of Health Sciences in the training programmes of the hospitals; and have hospitals established post-enactment of the extant legal framework in the schedule.“

“Hospital administration is a speciality within healthcare administration; it is one of the most advanced leadership careers in healthcare. It focuses on the overall operation of hospitals and other significant health facilities and requires both healthcare experience and administrative/management acumen.

“The purpose of the bill, therefore, is to strengthen the administration mechanism of University Teaching Hospitals through the broadening of its administrative heads and entrench greater professionalism in the management of our medical tertiary institutions.

“The Bill will also considerably reduce inter-disciplinary rivalry within the teaching hospitals by ensuring that all critical stakeholders are involved in the composition of the Boards of the teaching hospitals.

“This Bill is in tandem with global best practices with special references to the United Kingdom, United States of America and other countries where medical training have been successfully implemented through collaborative efforts of all practitioners,” Hon. Salam explained.

The post National Assembly Proposes To Include Pharmacists, Nurses & Other Health Practitioners In Headship Of Teaching Hospitals first appeared on CPAN WORLD.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made clear the risks of African countries importing 99% of the vaccines administered to its populations. African health Ministers say the vaccine production and supply chain situation needs to change.

According to DEVEX Newswire 99% of the vaccines used in Africa are imported. This has exposed the dangers of dependence on foreign production capacity determined by western politics and capitalism, thereby leaving residents in Africa without life saving supplies of the COVID-19 vaccines.

South Africa: Aspen Pharmacare reported that, as at December 2021, it had partially produced 120 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. Aspen announced in October that it aims to increase production to 1.3 billion doses per annum.

The African Union ordered for 400 million doses, which are partially manufactured at Aspen through the “fill and finish” stage- the final step of the process where the substance of the vaccine is sent to the plant to be put in vials and distributed.

In July 2021, Pfizer entered into arrangements with South Africas Biovac Institute to partially manufacture its COVID-19 vaccine in it’s Cape Town facility for distribution within the African Union. Facilities in Europe will send Biovac the vaccine substance to be put in vials. At full operational capacity, the annual production is expected to be over 100 million doses.

The World Health Organization and its partners have concluded plans to create a technology transfer hub for messenger RNA COVID-19 vaccines. This is to develop a replica of Moderna’s vaccine in Africa. The hub is replicating the Moderna vaccine because the company has reiterated on several occasions that they will not enforce their intellectual property during the pandemic. The hub plans to train 10 manufacturers and has initiated Calls for expressions of interest from manufacturers. The hub will start production of a vaccine for clinical studies and conduct phase 1 trials. Subsequently the hub will establish a second-generation mRNA vaccine technology providing advantages over the current candidate, as well as working to adapt the technology to emerging strains and vaccination strategies.

Rwanda and Senegal: Both countries in October 2021, signed an agreement with BioNTech to construct manufacturing facilities for full production of mRNA vaccines under license. The first production line will produce up to about 50 million COVID-19 vaccine doses per year. Institut Pasteur de Dakar is planning to host a regional manufacturing hub in Senegal, and there is already a vaccine construction site for a facility to build mRNA vaccines that will start producing vaccines by end of 2022.

Egypt: has already started producing its own COVID-19 vaccine, named “COVI VAX,” which is currently under phase 1 clinical trials. Egypt is also producing doses of Sinovac, and an Egyptian manufacturer, Minapharm Pharmaceuticals, has agreed to produce Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine at 40million doses per annum. 
As of early December, Egypt has also locally produced 25 million doses of Sinovac at the state firm Vacsera, which has largely served domestic needs. It is currently producing 2.5 million doses monthly, with an expected additional 1.5 to 2 billion doses yearly in its new line of production, which is expected to be operational in 2022.

Algeria started producing Sinovac vaccine doses in late September 2021.

Morocco’s Sothema laboratory is producing Sinopharm vaccines, which the company said will be on the market very soon, to serve both domestic demand and to export across the continent. It is expected to produce 5 million doses per month.

Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria have also expressed interest in vaccine manufacturing.

In April 2021 Africa CDC launched the Partnerships for African Vaccine Manufacturing with a long-term vision of ramping up the vaccine manufacturing capacity across the continent such that it can produce 60% of all vaccines used in African nations by 2040; with interim goals of 10% by 2025, and 30% by 2030. The aim is to be ample prepared for other disease outbreaks and epidemics not just Covid-19.

Moderna has plans to build an mRNA therapeutics and vaccine manufacturing facility on the African continent with capacity to produce 500million vaccine doses annually. The company is yet to decide on the African country to host it’s facility and is currently doing it’s due diligence to select a country.

The post PROSPECTS FOR LOCAL MANUFACTURING OF COVID-19 VACCINES IN AFRICA first appeared on CPAN WORLD.

In a letter to the Managing Director of the TV station dated 22nd December 2021 the NANNM described the stations guest Osimen Favourite as a Charlatan, a quack and Imposter posing as a pseudo-health information provider who has had a relationship with the TV station for quite a while. The NANNM also described Osimen Favourite as one of the quacks the likes of which the associatiin has been committed to weeding out of its fold. The association then went further to demand that the Edo Broadcasting Service (EBS) TV retract the interview granted Osime Favourite and engage in no further broadcasting of her interviews nor granting her interviews on health matters. The association further demanded that Miss Osime favourite apologise to the public for misleading them with false medical information she had been disseminating through the Edo Broadcasting Service (EBS) TV station, describing the stations relationship with Miss Osime as an “unholy alliance” aiding and abetting quackery.

In a similar development the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) has issued a statement to the general Public informing that the “Favourite Pharmacy” claimed to be owned by the same Osime Favourite is fictitious. The PSN in a statement dated 23rd December 2021 clarified “that no such ‘Favourite Pharmacy’ exists in Edo State as purportedly claimed by one ‘Nurse Favourite’, Who is not a Registered Nurse but known as OSIME FAVOURITE”.

The PSN then cautions the general public to be warry of such quackery and report any such guise to the Edo State Pharmaceutical Inspection Committee of the PCN for appropriate investigation and sanctions. In it’s words “The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria Edo State branch is resolute about sanitising the Pharmacy Practice environment in the state and therefore will not condone any false allegiances associated with it.”

The expectation is that as a news station regulated by the Nigeria Broadcasting Commission (NBC) for the dissemination of authentic information to the general public the Edo Broadcasting Service (EBS) would affiliate itself with professionals properly certified to provide such information, particularly when it comes to health related matters. But judging by the reactions of the PSN and NANNM this has not been the case.

The post QUACK NURSE ON EBS TV: PHARMACISTS, NURSES DISSOCIATE THEMSELVES first appeared on CPAN WORLD.

The post FGN ISSUES LASSA FEVER RED ALERT first appeared on CPAN WORLD.

The New National Executive Committee (EXCO) is to be Known as the “Consolidated Pioneer National EXCO of CPAN”.

THE MEMBERS OF THE CONSOLIDATED CPAN PIONEER NATIONAL EXCO are as follows.

1. Dr Joseph Madu FPCPharm, FPSN, PharmD.

(Chairman)

2. Dr (Mrs.) Maureen Ngozi Nwafor FPCPharm, PharmD.

(Vice Chairman)

3. Dr Moteehat Bukkie Olu-Lawal FPCPharm, MPH, PharmD.

(Secretary)

4. Dr (Mrs) Timipre Okeroghene Aghogho FPCPharm, PharmD

(Assistant Secretary)

5. Dr Obinna Nwanedo PharmD

(Finance Officer 1)

6. Dr Obiajuru Wayemeru PharmD.

(Finance Officer 2)

7. Dr Alphonsus Peter PharmD.

(Project Manager)

8. Dr Ibrahim Kolawole Bello FPCPharm, PharmD

(Public Relations Officer)

9. Dr Abdulmuminu Isah FPCPharm, PhD, PharmD.

(Edìtor in Chief)

10. Dr (Mrs.) Obianuju Onwuatuegwu FPSN, FPCPharm, PharmD.

(Unofficial member)

11. Dr Dauda Audi Dangiwa FPCPharm, FPSN, PharmD.

(Unofficial member)

12. Dr (Mrs) Daba Boyle FPSN, PharmD.

(Unofficial member).

CPAN!!! …………….. advancing direct patient care through Clinical Pharmacy

The post Minor Reshuflement in the Leadership of CPAN at the National Level as Approved by the National Council of the Association During Her Meeting of October 16th, 2021 first appeared on CPAN WORLD.

The post Rational Approach To The Management Of Scorpion Stings And Snake Bites: The Role Of The Pharmacists first appeared on CPAN WORLD.

CPAN RECOMMENDED STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES (SOPs) FOR ALL PHARMACISTS & CPAN MEMBERS IN NIGERIA/DIASPORA.

1)     Be professionally/ modestly/corporately or attractively dressed at all times.

A suit and a tie is highly recommended  for all males, while a sparkling white well ironed work coat with pharmacy logo is acceptable for both sexes.

2)     Address all your professional Colleagues (including junior colleagues) with their titles (eg. Pharm, Prof., Dr, etc) at all times, and not just their names alone.

When writing your name, endeavor to reflect the Profession against your name.

Examples include;

Pharm  ABC , Dr XYZ PharmD , Prof UVW FNAPharm etc .

You may also write Clinical Pharmacist in bracket when the situation is desirable for that.

3)     When Consulting with patients in a community Pharmacy, or at the patient’s Bedside in a hospital ward, emergency departments, nursing home, Managed Care clinics, Physician’s offices etc, please always remember that Patient Assessment ought to Precede all forms of treatment, recommendations or interventions.

Always adhere to utilizing the tools such as SOAP or FARM, and Never fail to document the care process.

If it is not documented, it is not done.

In all situations, avoid rushing to recommend treatment options or interventions without first conducting proper patient assessment, clerking or client interviews and documenting.

It is highly unprofessional and not expected of anyone that is a clinical pharmacist to do any form of therapeutic intervention without prior proper assessment of patients or clients.

4)     Always be compliant with the CPAN Standards for Use of language by her members.

Never refer to a pharmacy as a Retail Pharmacy.

Rather say a Community Pharmacy.

Avoid being analog all the time

Don’t say you will go to the Market to buy drugs.

Say you will contact or go to Medical Reps, distributors or Pharmaceutical manufacturing companies to Order drugs.

It is unethical to Order drugs from open markets as all medicines are potential poisons and must not be viewed as ordinary articles of trade.

5)     As a community pharmacist, when any client or patient compliments you by saying “How Market or Business?

Please, never⁷ fail to correct them by saying it should be How is the Practice?

And as a clinical pharmacist, please Never say my Business when referring to your Community Pharmacy activities.

It should be ….My Practice….

A Pharmacist is a professional who practices his Profession.

A trader doesn’t Practice but does business or sells, or retails just for profit.

6)     Talk corporately and professionally whenever in public view.

Stop referring to a pharmacy as Shop or even Pharmacy shop, Pharmaceutical Store,   etc.

Always say my Pharmacy or Pharmacie.

Also remember that the word Premises is not Synonymous with pharmacy or pharmacie, and can be used even for a mechanic workshop, banking, hospital, Clinic or carpenter’s workshop premises.

So learn to say Pharmacy or Pharmacie instead of Premises.

6)     Talk corporately and professionally whenever in public view.

Stop referring to a pharmacy as Shop or even Pharmacy shop, Pharmaceutical Store,   etc.

Always say my Pharmacy or Pharmacie.

Also remember that the word Premises is not Synonymous with pharmacy or pharmacie, and can be used even for a mechanic workshop, banking, hospital, Clinic or carpenter’s workshop premises.

So learn to say Pharmacy or Pharmacie instead of Premises.

7)     Don’t say Customers at the pharmacy.

Say Clients or Patients   at the pharmacy.

A Pharmacist or healthcare professional has clients or patients and empathizes with them, whereas a business person has customers and views them with profit in his mind.

Don’t Say we Sell Medicines, say we Dispense Medicines.

Dispensing and application of Pharmaceutical care are professional skills that require university education at a pharmacy school.

Selling does Not necessarily require professionalism or university education and can be carried out very well by anyone including quacks.

Pharmacists remain high profile Professionals with university education and they Practice Pharmacy,   rather than trading or selling medicines.

If you work in the hospital or clinic, please don’t use or make sign posts bearing such trading jargons like

“Buy your drugs from the hospital Pharmacy Shop or Store“.

You should rather say,

Obtain or Procure   your medicines (or Fill your Prescriptions)   from the hospital Pharmacy or Pharmacie.

Don’t say that you want to Cost drugs,

Say that you want to do Prescription Assessment, Review or Audit.

Don’t allow too many stickers to litter “see through” or sliding glass Pharmacy doors.

Infact, write Post no Bill on the Pharmacy glass doors or Pharmacy departmental walls.

8)     Avoid creating or reinforcing wrong Perceptions in the minds of the public by using such phrases   like.

“Doctors & Pharmacists” or Doctors, Nurses and Pharmacists“, when you are speaking to the public or anyone. Rather, use consistently such phrases as Pharmacists, Physicians and Nurses.

The Pharmacist should come before others whenever a Pharmacist is speaking, that is an honor to one’s Profession.

Furthermore, learn to use Physicians or Medical doctors when referring to the twin professionals of Pharmacy who are graduates of medicine.

This is because there are different kinds of doctors in Patient Care such as dental doctors, veterinary doctors, medical doctors, Pharmacy doctors, doctors of optometry, doctors of nursing practice, etc.

The title doctor is never an occupational title solely or exclusively for any healthcare Profession.

When you say doctors but you actually mean Physicians, you have basically excluded optometry doctors, dental doctors, pharmacy doctors, veterinary doctors etc from also being doctors whereas all possess clinical doctorates which are about direct patient care.

It is archaic and obsolete to tag only Physicians as doctors within the health care system.

The general public are always watching the way you say or do things & they create their perceptions of your profession.

9)     Also, Don’t use such phrases as “Doctors and other health care Workers.”

Learn to say Physicians and Non Physician Healthcare Providers, whenever you want to talk about Physicians and others that are Healthcare providers.

Except you mean all “Clinician Doctors” (dentists, optometrists, DPTs, MDs,  PharmDs etc)  and all  ordinary healthcare staff who are not medical professionals or Clinical  staff (eg cleaners, accounting and administrative  staff etc).

It is then you can address them as doctors and other health care workers.

Other Clinical Professionals aside medical doctors are alternatively addressed as Non Physician Health Care Providers.

10)    If you are a PharmD holder, PhD or Prof, and your annual license does not reflect that, please write to PCN officially either directly or through your DPS, so that your title can be reflected wherever your name is written by the council.

And always be proud of your title (Pharm, Prof, Dr etc) as a pharmacist because you earned it meritoriously.

N.B. These little things matter & and it is absolutely necessary to put many things in the right perspective.

Courtesy.

CPAN THINK TANK & STANDARDS COMMITTEE.

Dr Moteehat Bukkie Olu-Lawal FPCPharm, MCPAN, PharmD.

National Secretary.

Dr Joseph Madu FPCPharm, MCPAN, PharmD.

National Chairman.

The post CPAN RECOMMENDED STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES (SOPs) FOR ALL PHARMACISTS & CPAN MEMBERS IN NIGERIA/DIASPORA. first appeared on CPAN WORLD.

From:

CLINICAL PHARMACISTS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (CPAN)

To:

All Pharmacists in Nigeria.

All CPAN Members in Nigeria & Diaspora.

RE: ADOPT/ADAPT AS A WORKING DOCUMENT.

CPAN RECOMMENDED STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES (SOPs) FOR ALL PHARMACISTS & CPAN MEMBERS IN NIGERIA/DIASPORA.

1)     Be professionally/ modestly/corporately or attractively dressed at all times.

A suit and a tie is highly recommended  for all males, while a sparkling white well ironed work coat with pharmacy logo is acceptable for both sexes.

2)     Address all your professional Colleagues (including junior colleagues) with their titles (eg. Pharm, Prof., Dr, etc) at all times, and not just their names alone.

When writing your name, endeavor to reflect the Profession against your name.

Examples include;

Pharm  ABC , Dr XYZ PharmD , Prof UVW FNAPharm etc .

You may also write Clinical Pharmacist in bracket when the situation is desirable for that.

3)     When Consulting with patients in a community Pharmacy, or at the patient’s Bedside in a hospital ward, emergency departments, nursing home, Managed Care clinics, Physician’s offices etc, please always remember that Patient Assessment ought to Precede all forms of treatment, recommendations or interventions.

Always adhere to utilizing the tools such as SOAP or FARM, and Never fail to document the care process.

If it is not documented, it is not done.

In all situations, avoid rushing to recommend treatment options or interventions without first conducting proper patient assessment, clerking or client interviews and documenting.

It is highly unprofessional and not expected of anyone that is a clinical pharmacist to do any form of therapeutic intervention without prior proper assessment of patients or clients.

4)     Always be compliant with the CPAN Standards for Use of language by her members.

Never refer to a pharmacy as a Retail Pharmacy.

Rather say a Community Pharmacy.

Avoid being analog all the time

Don’t say you will go to the Market to buy drugs.

Say you will contact or go to Medical Reps, distributors or Pharmaceutical manufacturing companies to Order drugs.

It is unethical to Order drugs from open markets as all medicines are potential poisons and must not be viewed as ordinary articles of trade.

5)     As a community pharmacist, when any client or patient compliments you by saying “How Market or Business?

Please, never⁷ fail to correct them by saying it should be How is the Practice?

And as a clinical pharmacist, please Never say my Business when referring to your Community Pharmacy activities.

It should be ….My Practice….

A Pharmacist is a professional who practices his Profession.

A trader doesn’t Practice but does business or sells, or retails just for profit.

6)     Talk corporately and professionally whenever in public view.

Stop referring to a pharmacy as Shop or even Pharmacy shop, Pharmaceutical Store,   etc.

Always say my Pharmacy or Pharmacie.

Also remember that the word Premises is not Synonymous with pharmacy or pharmacie, and can be used even for a mechanic workshop, banking, hospital, Clinic or carpentar’s workshop premises.

So learn to say Pharmacy or Pharmacie instead of Premises.

7)     Don’t say Customers at the pharmacy.

Say Clients or Patients   at the pharmacy.

A Pharmacist or healthcare professional has clients or patients and empathizes with them, whereas a business person has customers and views them with profit in his mind.

Don’t Say we Sell Medicines, say we Dispense Medicines.

Dispensing and application of Pharmaceutical care are professional skills that require university education at a pharmacy school.

Selling does Not necessarily require professionalism or university education and can be carried out very well by anyone including quacks.

Pharmacists remain high profile Professionals with university education and they Practice Pharmacy,   rather than trading or selling medicines.

If you work in the hospital or clinic, please don’t use or make sign posts bearing such trading jargons like

“Buy your drugs from the hospital Pharmacy Shop or Store“.

You should rather say,

Obtain or Procure   your medicines (or Fill your Prescriptions)   from the hospital Pharmacy or Pharmacie.

Don’t say that you want to Cost drugs,

Say that you want to do Prescription Assessment, Review or Audit.

Don’t allow too many stickers to litter “see through” or sliding glass Pharmacy doors.

Infact, write Post no Bill on the Pharmacy glass doors or Pharmacy departmental walls.

8)     Avoid creating or reinforcing wrong Perceptions in the minds of the public by using such phrases   like.

“Doctors & Pharmacists”

or Doctors, Nurses and Pharmacists“, when you are speaking to the public or anyone.

Rather, use consistently such phrases as

Pharmacists, Physicians and Nurses.

The pharmacist should come before others whenever a Pharmacist is speaking, that is an honor to one’s Profession.

Furthermore, learn to use Physicians or Medical doctors when referring to the twin professionals of Pharmacy who are graduates of medicine.

This is because there are different kinds of doctors in Patient Care such as dental doctors, veterinary doctors, medical doctors, Pharmacy doctors, doctors of optometry, doctors of nursing practice, etc.

The title doctor is never an occupational title solely or exclusively for any healthcare Profession.

When you say doctors but you actually mean Physicians, you have basically excluded optometry doctors, dental doctors, pharmacy doctors, veterinary doctors etc from also being doctors whereas all possess clinical doctorates which are about direct patient care.

It is archaic and obsolete to tag only Physicians as doctors within the health care system.

The general public are always watching the way you say or do things & they create their perceptions of your profession.

9)     Also, Don’t use such phrases as:

Doctors and other health care Workers.

Learn to say Physicians and Non Physician Healthcare Providers, whenever you want to talk about Physicians and others that are Healthcare providers.

Except you mean all “Clinician Doctors” (dentists, optometrists, DPTs, MDs,  PharmDs etc)  and all  ordinary healthcare staff who are not medical professionals or Clinical  staff (eg cleaners, accounting and administrative  staff etc).

It is then you can address them as doctors and other health care workers.

Other Clinical Professionals aside medical doctors are alternatively addressed as Non Physician Health Care Providers.

10)    If you are a PharmD holder, PhD or Prof, and your annual licence does not reflect that, please write to PCN officially either directly or through your DPS, so that your title can be reflected wherever your name is written by the council.

And always be proud of your title (Pharm, Prof, Dr etc) as a pharmacist because you earned it meritoriously.

N.B. These little things matter & and it is absolutely necessary to put many things in the right perspective.

Courtesy.

CPAN THINK TANK & STANDARDS COMMITTEE.

Dr Moteehat Bukkie Olu-Lawal FPCPharm, MCPAN, PharmD.

National Secretary.

Dr Joseph Madu FPCPharm, MCPAN, PharmD.

National Chairman.

The post CPAN RECOMMENDED STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES (SOPs) FOR ALL PHARMACISTS & CPAN MEMBERS IN NIGERIA/DIASPORA. first appeared on CPAN WORLD.

A Pharmacist is trained to speak truth no matter whose Ox is gored. Many healthcare professionals feel threatened when a Pharmacist speaks because we don’t mince words in telling the truth about a particular situation as lives may inadvertently depend on it. A Pharmacist knows that one small mistake, one error, one false calculation and many lives may be lost. This is why many who do not wish to see truth come to life because of ulterior motives do their best to deny a Pharmacist his/her voice.

This week a Pharmacist Hannatu Rufai Abdullahi was amongst several hostages of Bandits in Zango Zaria in Nothern Nigeria. She had been abducted alongside her sister and several others around 1:00am.

She was sleeping peacefully in her home with her two sons, a seven year old and a six year old. The bandits broke through her burglary proof door and took her away.

According to a relative Zainab Aliyu  Hannatu “hid her children when the bandits came. She was kidnapped along side her cousin sister. We waited to hear them calling us for a ransom only for them to call that they have killed and dumped her corpse along Birnin Gwari.“

According to @realvoiceofarewa “They killed her and dumbed her corpse just like that!. Just like that!. She was at home. A mother, a wife, a daughter and a pharmacist contributing her own quota to a country that couldn’t protect her.”

According to Ahmed Salisu a Kaduna resident the Kidnappers were said to have operated for more than an hour without any form of resistance in a residential area filled with all sorts of academia and  intellectuals plus it is very close to a military barracks. The police had made an attempt to intercept them but were out numbered.

The story had it that at some point while being led deep into the bandits hideout Hannatu indicated she could not continue further as she was tired. The Bandits shot her and continued on her journey. The story was confirmed by a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Ahmed Sanni from Kaduna State.

Until her death, Hannatu was a mother of two kids and pharmacist at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Zaria. She was a former Superintendent Pharmacist at Kumbi Pharmacy, Gombe.

Was Hannatu Pregnant?

Though it has been widely reported that Hannatu was pregnant but a Cousin of hers says she was neither pregnant nor heavy with child. In response to a Facebook post one Omar Mustei who claims to be her cousin said:

“Hannatu was not pregnant please. She is my cousin and we were together Thursday before she was kidnapped Friday. She was not pregnant not to talk of being heavy. We can pass the news without false information.”

But Ozi Mohammed who described himself as a close family friend of Hannatu’s said :

“She was heavily pregnant and told the Animals (kidnappers) that she couldn’t walk, so they shot her. She has 2 kids……Her sister in Abuja called my wife on Friday to rejoice with us over my son’s issue but unfortunately my sister (her friend) called us the following day to break the sad news. We started praying for them since that day until last night when my sister called”

While controversy surrounds our beloved Hannatu’s pregnancy status as at time of death one thing is certain: HANNATU died because she chose to speak truth to Power. Those who shot her did nothing abnormal. It is abnormal for a coward to tolerate truth when he faces it. A coward must react when he sees someone who can stand up to him, speak truth and defend the weak. Hannatu considered her health so she spoke up and said she is tired and can’t walk further. The cowards shot because they didn’t want her left behind and giving away their trail to security forces. They shot because they were afraid of the truth.

Muhajira Ismail describes Hannatu as “an amazing soul, an easy going person, with a beautiful smile…”

Maryam Jibrin describes Hannatu as “someone I have known for 16 years. Nice and gentle. When I learnt of your abduction I was praying that you will return safely eventually. That did not happen”

Amina Adamu-Mshelia described Hannatu as “lovely, peaceful and devoted“

Umar Farouk said “She’s really a nice person always smiling”

The bandits died when they shot Hannatu. You died when you shot Hannatu……..yes you, you, you, you……you’re the one who died when you shot Hannatu. You shot a mother but you died. Because you are a C.O.W.A.R.D. You will never match her standards. Woman of Nigeria, Daughter, Wife, Mother, University Graduate, fashionista, Pharmacist and Public Health Worker. You thought you could take her voice and shut her up forever but you made a mistake. You made her louder and noisier than she has ever been or will ever be.

While announcing Hannatu’s murder @realvoiceofarewa writes “Does this darkness have a name?”

But of all descripions we are most particular about how Hannatu described herself. On her Facebook wall she described herself as a
“Pharmacist, Beauty Entrepreneur! I show women how to start beauty business to improve their lifestyle.”

Shes not Hannatu, she’s not Hannatwo, we choose to call her Hannathree, Hannafour, Hannafive, Hannasix and Hannatoinfinity

The post HANNATU:THE STORY- COWARDS DIE MANY TIMES BEFORE THEIR DEATH first appeared on CPAN WORLD.