Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) has achieved its effort to redress the training of pharmacy support professionals, pharmaceutical technologists in the country, by abolishing the certificate in the country.
The PCN in collaboration with the National Board of Technical Education (NBTE) announced an end to the training of pharmaceutical technologists by polytechnics and other institutions in Nigeria, following a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the parties in Abuja recently.
PCN has over two decades made efforts to stop the training of pharmaceutical technologists by Nigerian polytechnics and other institutions outside the control and supervision of schools or colleges of health education, whose programmes and training are not duly regulated by the national pharmaceutical administrative body.
According to the content of the MoU, PCN and NBTE agreed to accredit and train qualified candidates only for National Diploma in Pharmacy Technicians in approved institutions in the country.
By this development, pharmaceutical technology, a two-year programme offered by some polytechnics and other institutions not supervised or regulated by the PCN has been scrapped.
Prior to the signing of the MoU by the parties under the chairmanship of the minister of state for education, Dr Tanko Sununu, the permanent secretary, Federal Ministry of Education; pharmacy technicians undergo a three-year programme accredited by PCN in recognised colleges and schools of health education. And upon completion, candidates sit for the National Pre-Certification Examination (NPCE) examination and if successful, are granted license by the PCN.
While conversely, pharmaceutical technology is a two-year programme offered by polytechnics and other institutions whose courses and training are not regulated by the PCN.
The registrar/CEO of PCN, Ibrahim Babashehu Ahmed, who described the development as a significant milestone, said, it signified "a collaborative effort towards resolving the issues pertaining the training of pharmaceutical technologists in polytechnics and other institutions in Nigeria."
Ahmed, on behalf of PCN and NBTE, commended the Ministry of Education for facilitating the resolution of the 22-year-old issue.
According to him, "the feat is the hallmark of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the current administration of the nation being steered by the focused leadership of the Federal Ministry of Health and Education."
