Pharmacists Urge FG To Include Pharmacies in Health Insurance Scheme

Pharmacists in Lagos State have urged the Federal and Lagos State governments to urgently reform Nigeria’s drug distribution system and incorporate pharmacy services into the national health insurance framework.

They warned that the continued exclusion of pharmacists from health policy planning threatens public health and undermines the country’s drive toward achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

The call was made during the 2025 World Pharmacists Day celebration in Lagos, themed “Think Health, Think Pharmacist.” The event, held at the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) Secretariat in Ogudu, featured a health walk, community outreach, media engagements, and capacity-building sessions to highlight the critical role of pharmacists in healthcare delivery.

Chairman of the Lagos ACPN, Tolu Ajayi, described Nigeria’s drug distribution system as chaotic and unsafe, warning that without strict enforcement of the National Drug Distribution Guidelines, Nigerians would remain exposed to fake and substandard medicines.

“No other healthcare professional is better trained to ensure the safety, authenticity, and quality of medicines than the pharmacist,” Ajayi said, stressing that pharmacists must be central to drug supply and monitoring systems if lives are to be protected.

Also speaking, Chairman of the Lagos State chapter of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Pharm. Babayemi Oyekunle, criticised the National Health Insurance Authority and the Lagos State Health Management Agency for sidelining pharmacists in health insurance design and implementation.

He argued that an insurance scheme that excludes pharmacists is incomplete and undermines access to safe and affordable medicines. “The pharmacy is often the first point of contact for patients. Ignoring this reality weakens the healthcare system at its foundation,” he said.

Immediate past Chairman of ACPN Lagos, Pharm. Lawrence Ekhator, added that pharmacists must invest more in media advocacy to challenge misconceptions about the profession. He stressed that pharmacists are not merely drug dispensers but critical healthcare providers whose expertise improves patient outcomes.

The event brought together pharmacists, stakeholders, and zonal coordinators across Lagos, with participants marching in a health walk to the ACPN Secretariat in Ketu-Alapere, alongside community outreach and awareness programmes reinforcing their call for reform.