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National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control

Patent medicine

Drug, Distribution, Health Insurance and The Ambitious Quack

Nigerians have for long contended  with the problems associated with the pharmaceutical drug distribution network and the increasing presence of quacks in the health sector.
Indeed, unauthorized persons prescribe, dispense and handle medicines in open markets, major roads, street corners and bus-stops.
These persons have now occupied leadership roles in drug distribution, mainly for their personal interests, to the detriment of millions of Nigerians, who patronize them.
Sadly, Government is yet to come to terms with the visible dangers that abound  in the unstructured  distribution channels, while relevant regulatory  agencies are handicapped when  it involves the implementation of the provision of the laws on drugs.
  It is a known fact that quackery  cuts across all professions including journalism.
Presently, jobless Nigerians in various fields, Secondary school leavers and in some cases drop outs are engaged by phony health insurance companies to propagate their objectives for ridiculous fees.
They deliver health talks at Government owned Primary Health Care centres, clinics, Maternity and nursing homes among others.
This, they do in conjunction with the operators of the unstructured distribution channels.
Advertisements outlining vacancies for various positions in health insurance dot the nooks  and crannies  of the country. 
These organizations, on recruiting new staff introduce them  to the nitty gritty of the business, with claims that they are working in conjunction with the World Health Organization.
A sizable number of state Governments are behind these quacks.
Of note, is that the salient provisions of the 2005 National Drug Policy makes dispensing , sales and display of drugs, the exclusive  professional privileges and rights of Pharmacists in Nigeria.
In  the guise of providing enlightenment on health  insurance, a group of quacks from a phony health  insurance company, delivered a health talk  on the celebration of the 2017 World Teachers Day celebration, organized by  the Oyo state council of the Nigeria  Union of Teachers(NUT) at the Teachers House, Oluyole estate, Ibadan, Nigeria. 
After the health talk, the quacks charged a token of N50.00  per Teacher, to carry out medical examination.
This trend is not only disturbing but worrisome.
Sadly, quacks have taken advantage of the loop holes in the health sector to make money, while educated citizens are now their preys. Very ridiculous