Kaduna — The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration And Control (NAFDAC) and Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) Kaduna State chapter, in collaboration with Kaduna Environmental Production Authority (KEPA) have burnt drugs worth over one million naira.

Addressing newsmen, the ASPN chairman, Pharmacist Okoye Alphonsus, said the burnt drugs were gathered by their members across the state. He charged members to be conscious of the consequences of fake drugs to the society and make them available to be destroyed. He appealed to the state government to patronise registered pharmacists while ordering for drugs and other medical equipments with the aim of purchasing genuine medical facilities.

He also advised both federal and state governments to encourage secondary school students to study Pharmaceutical sciences, by providing the necessary incentives and the condusive atmosphere needed to man various health institutions and hospitals. This he said would enhance professionalism and avoidance of quacks in the industry.

The association's secretary, Sanusi Usman Yahaya, who spoke on the activities of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) noted that the scheme is a laudable programme, but lamented that its implementation is faulty due to the fact that the pharmacists have been sidelined. "The original plan of fee for service for secondary providers like the pharmacies is not being implemented, instead, the primary provider i.e. the hospitals are being paid Global Capitation which includes cost for drugs", said Yahaya.