Drug abuse prevalent in grassroots, say patents medicine dealers

In an effort to combatthe menace of counterfeit and fake drug, including drug abuse in the grassroots areas of Kwara state, Nigerian Association of Patent and Proprietary Medicine Dealers (NAPPMED), has embarked on community education and enlightenment programme for the people.Speaking with the Community News at the grand finale of the second NAPPMED/TUYIL annual quiz competition held at Eleburuke Hall, Atiba Iya-Alamu House in Ilorin, the state chairman of the association, Alhaji Abdulwahab Ajibola, said messages on such issues of HIV, immunisation and malaria had also been taken to rural areas of the state to promote safe and healthy life.Alhaji Ajibola, who said messages gathered from series of lectures that were regularly delivered by medical experts at seminars organised by the association, particularly on NAPPMED days, had been disseminated to the people in the grassroots with prescribed drugs for such ailments and diseases.He also said that the association had set up a task force committee to monitor activities of members to discourage sale of fake drugs and to apprehend erring members.Ajibola also advised people against patronising drug hawkers for their health needs, adding that they were endangering their lives through such acts, stressing that they should either patronise government pharmacy or licensed and recognised patent pharmacy dealers in their areas.Kwara NAPPMED chairman, who called for a better cooperation between the association and its sister body, the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), added that members of his association were not given free hand to operate in accordance with laid down rules and regulations.He said the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria, saw NAPPMED members as threat instead of partners in progress, lamenting that outlets of his members were usually raided, seize theiir shops and taken them to their own courts.
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