'The world is at threat of diseases' - West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists

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July 10, 2015 5:08 PM

The group raised the alarm at the 27th Annual General Meeting and Scientific Symposium organised by WAPCP in collaboration with Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria.

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There is a growing threat of what has been referred to as a “double burden” of communicable diseases and non-communicable diseases in the world.

This was revealed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and pharmacists under the aegis of the West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists (WAPCP).

They urged African health authorities to “build resilient health systems”, adding that having “strategies that focus on one health intervention but fail to provide the full range of basic services have had distorting effects and may re-enforce health inequalities and undermine broader efforts.”

According to WHO National Medicine Adviser in Nigeria, Dr Ogori Taylor diseases of public health importance were increasingly threatening the global healthcare system.

He also stated that although some infectious diseases had been effectively controlled with medical technologies, others are reemerging in form of resistant strains.

The former Senior Lecturer of Clinical Pharmacy at the College of Medicine of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) stated that with the growing threat of NCDs, the world is in a great trouble.

WAPCP President, Mr Wiltshire Johnson, thus, called for the building of resilient health systems in Africa to meet growing healthcare challenges on the continent.

According to him, problems of public health importance run far deeper than an epidemic outbreak of an hemorrhagic disease. Rather in Africa, they include HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB), malaria, reproductive maternal and child health issues, non-communicable disease including diabetes, hypertension and so on.

It also includes substandard, falsified, falsely labeled and counterfeit pharmaceuticals, irrational medicine use, weak or non-existent drug supply and distribution chains and inadequate number of appropriately qualified health workers.

Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Health, Mr Linus Awute, however, commended the college for the scientific symposium and urged pharmacists to put in their best in the fight against diseases of public health importance.

Also at the event, 10 elected fellows, including the immediate past dean of UNILAG Faculty of Pharmacy, Prof. Olukemi Odukoya were inducted to the body.

WAPCP also inducted 161 graduating fellows and 280 members who passed 2014 Part One Fellowship Examination of the college.

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