No fewer than 385 medical facilities have been sealed in Taraba State by the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria (PCN) over various offences.
Director, Inspection and Monitoring of the body, Mrs. Anthonia Aruya disclosed this during its 35th outing covering about 30 states across the country.
Addressing the press shortly after the body’s meeting, the Director, Inspection and Monitoring of the agency, Pharmacist Anthonia Aruya said 539 premises were visited during the inspection.
According to her, they comprised 52 pharmacies and 487 Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendors across the state.
She said of the 358 premises sealed, seven were pharmacies, while 351 were Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendors (PPMVs).
She said some do not have the requisite knowledge or skills to handle medicine in their premises or, are operating beyond their approved scope.
“Some people that were not permitted by law to handle controlled substances were found to stock and sell such products in disregard to the law and further endangered the public.”
“A good number of this people did not understand the laws and guidelines in the pharmaceutical landscape thereby misleading other stakeholders or operating in ignorance that is not taxable,” She lamented.
She on behalf of the (PCN), advised the public to source it drug needs from registered pharmacy outlets and over the counter medicine, (OTCs) from registered (PPMV) shops as drugs sold in unregistered outlets cannot be guaranteed to be genuine.
