Daily Champion (Lagos)
6 November 2009
Akor Sylvester, Abuja — The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), yesterday joined the global effort in the use of a cutting-edge technology to fight counterfeiting in Nigeria.
The technology, a handheld device called Truscan would be used at borders and medical stores to detect counterfeit drugs on the spot.
Director-General of NAFDAC, Dr. Paul Orhii, who made the declaration yesterday in Abuja at the opening of the advanced computer training programme for NAFDAC management staff confirmed that the equipment have arrived the shores of Nigeria, stating that "we are the first Medicine Regulatory Agency in the world to purchase Truscan."
He however stated that the NAFDAC staff will soon be trained on its use and that the agency was also deploying "a text messaging technology to put the power of detection of counterfeits in the hands of Nigerian consumers thereby enlisting the entire Nigerian public in the war against counterfeiting".
This, Orhii said, would help detect counterfeit medicines in pharmaceutical outlets while covering the scope of its responsibility to safeguard the public.
To this end, he stated that the agency has embarked on full computerisation of its operations to improve efficiency, while noting that "for any regulatory authority to be successful, it needs to constantly review its actitvities, evolve new measures to build the capacity of staff, standardise operating procedures, with adequate funding and entrench a culture of fairness and be transparent in service delivery."
Information Technology (IT) skill, Orhii reiterated will no doubt improve competence of regulators in discharging assigned duties effectively.
Said he: "As the whole world is shifting towards e-technology, the health sector also uses IT technology to deliver better services to people. NAFDAC will not be left out, but will take the necessary steps to maintain its rightful position among other reputable international drug regulatory agencies."
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