By Our correspondent in Ilorin
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA),has urged the Federal government to create enabling environment for drug manufacturers to produce locally.
Speaking at the 2020 Press Week of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kwara State council in Ilorin on Tuesday, the NMA state Deputy chairman, Dr. Aderibigbe Ayodele, said that pharmaceutical companies would produce drugs at more affordable prices when government created enabling environment for drug manufacturers.
He added that government must also strengthen regulatory bodies to ensure that drugs manufactured in Nigeria contain advertised ingredients.
The medical doctor also sought collaboration of all opinion leaders, associations and pressure groups to demand “necessary things” from government.
“Nigeria cannot make drugs. The vaccine we give those children in government hospitals is donated to Nigeria for free. That is why they say in hospital, they don’t charge you for vaccine but they still charge you for cotton wool and spirit. Can’t Nigeria manufacture these drugs?
“Unless Nigeria government engages pharmaceutical companies to produce those drugs in the country, the drugs will be expensive because those drugs are imported;and their prices depend on exchange rate, dollars and global oil prices.
Those are the factors that account for the high cost of drugs, especially drugs for non-communicable diseases. It is beyond the scope of what NMA can do. What we must continue to do is to beg the government”, he said.
He also called on government to ensure drugs consume in the country maintain the required standard, to boost public health.
“Gvernment should also ensure that our regulatory bodies do the needful. Sanction any drug manufacturing company that is putting lesser quantity in drugs and sell to people.
To the journalists, thee medical expert advised them to pay adequate attention to their health, reminding them that early “detection of sickness saves lives.”
He said that people should go for regular medical check-up, such as test for sugar level, blood test, blood pressure, among others to detect sickness in early stage.
Ayodele also called on journalists to double check all medical posts on internet from medical experts before disseminating such to the public, saying that fake medical news abound in circulation.
Earlier, the Kwara state Commissioner for communication, Harriet Adenike Oshatimehi, urged Journalists in the state to take the issue of their health as a priority by going for regular check-up “as they run around to gather information for the general public.”
She said often times, journalists dud not have time to take good care of their health because of the pressure of their work, noting that it was when they were well that they could disseminate information.
She commended the journalists for organising the press week.
The Chairman of the Press week programme, Mallam Rabiu Muhammed, in his address said the purpose of the programme was for members to know how to take care of their health, particularly certain illments that they miggt be suffering in their body system