The era of intense fight against quack drug sellers in the country, particularly the commercial bus drug sellers has become necessary owing to the recent rise in death rate due to wrong medication prescribed to people by unqualified sellers.
The Human Development Index (HDI) 2013 document attributes about 15% of deaths in Nigeria to wrongly prescribed medications and expired drugs.
The case of Mrs Olaoti Adaranijo, 33, a fruit supplier is another reason to combat the excesses of these unregistered drug sellers.
According to Adaranijo, she almost lost her only son on 29 June, 2014 as a result of fake drug her husband bought for their sick son.
“I was too desperate about the time my husband gave me the drug to check the instructions and the expiry date so I just gave him the medication instantly.
“It dawned on me about 5 minutes later when my son began to display some strange behaviours that I had to rush him to a nearby hospital.
“The doctor sent me back home to bring the medication I used on him. That was when he discovered that the content of the drug was for pregnant women,” she narrated.
Mrs Adaranijo concluded her explanation by adding: “My husband said he bought the drug inside a “Molue bus” and the seller assured that the drug will work perfectly on anyone.
“By the time we called the number written on the pack of the drug with a pen it was not reachable.”
After finally getting in touch with the drug seller in question, Mrs Aina Rahman, 49, claimed that the drugs she sold to Mr Adaranijo were not fake drugs.
According to Mrs Rahman, “I don’t sell fake or expired drugs. We get our products from the stores and we chose to sell the drugs inside commuter buses because we cannot afford money to rent shop.
“Most of the
people who patronise us in the public bus still call us on phone for medical
advice. If people don’t see results from our drugs they won’t continue to buy
from us.”
Mrs Rahman pleaded with NAFDAC to allow them trade drugs in public buses, saying ‘since we don’t impose our drugs on anyone’.
Reacting to whether sales of drug should be allowed in commuter buses, Mr Chike Nwadiogbu, a marketer in Lagos Island, said the act should be banned out-rightly.
According to him: “A lot of people who sell those drugs are charlatans, who have no knowledge about drugs neither trained on how to hygienically handle drugs.
“They do not understand the medical side effects attached to every drug and the adverse symptoms to those who are not permitted to take the drug.”
Mr Nwadiogbu also added that, “Most times, these people would change the expiry date of a drug, so that they could sell it to unaware commuters who buy drugs at impulse.
“I would prefer to buy my drugs from a registered pharmacy shop, so that if anything goes wrong, I know whom to hold responsible. I hope NAFDAC will enforce the law that will stop these people from endangering our lives.”
One of the regular customers of commuter bus drug sellers, Mrs Daramola Adio, says she finds nothing wrong in buying drugs in the bus.
“I don’t see anything wrong in buying drugs inside a bus. Are those who sell the drugs not human beings? They are even well known among the commercial bus drivers and traders, and as such, they have no hiding place. Sometimes they give out their contacts in the bus for their customers to locate them and lodge complaints, if anything goes wrong,” She said.
Another regular buyer, Anslem Itotoi claims that condemning those that trade drugs inside public buses is like calling a dog a bad name.
“If we have to be candid with ourselves, most pharmacy shops in Nigeria do not really have professionals at the stores.
“Most of them would open a pharmacy shop and put one of their brothers or sisters there to attend to people, while the owner would take another job with either government or private establishments. What would you make of this?”
He went further to give reasons why Nigerians prefer to buy drugs inside commuter buses than regular pharmacy stores.
“Some of the major reasons why people still continue to patronise the drug sellers inside public bus is because their drugs are cheaper.
“So the onus is on NAFDAC and other agencies to continue to enlighten the public on the dangers inherent in buying drugs from unregistered persons or places. By so doing, our health status would be better for it.”
A certified pharmacist, Mr Oladimeji Sobowale, 45, when asked on how to avoid administering wrong medication to patients, he said: “When anyone is not feeling well, the person goes to see the doctor who will check up the person and refer him or her for test.
“It is the result of the test that the pharmacist works with to determine the medication that will suit the patients system.
“So you can see that it is not advisable to just administer anything to anyone because certain symptom is detected.”
Commenting on how hawking of fake drugs could be eradicated in Nigeria, the Public Relations Officer of NAFDAC, South-South Zone, Cyril Monye, opined that vast majority of death recorded in the early 2014 was caused by unregistered and unapproved drugs which were purchased in commercial buses.
He added that: “We have developed a modality in spearheading global efforts in the fight against fake drugs via the use of Truscan.
“This is a hand held devise, to detect counterfeit medicines on the spot. We have also concluded plans to mobilise a monitoring group that will ensure the prohibition of sales of drugs through uncertified mediums.”
Mrs Rahman pleaded with NAFDAC to allow them trade drugs in public buses, saying ‘since we don’t impose our drugs on anyone’.
Reacting to whether sales of drug should be allowed in commuter buses, Mr Chike Nwadiogbu, a marketer in Lagos Island, said the act should be banned out-rightly.
According to him: “A lot of people who sell those drugs are charlatans, who have no knowledge about drugs neither trained on how to hygienically handle drugs.
“They do not understand the medical side effects attached to every drug and the adverse symptoms to those who are not permitted to take the drug.”
Mr Nwadiogbu also added that, “Most times, these people would change the expiry date of a drug, so that they could sell it to unaware commuters who buy drugs at impulse.
“I would prefer to buy my drugs from a registered pharmacy shop, so that if anything goes wrong, I know whom to hold responsible. I hope NAFDAC will enforce the law that will stop these people from endangering our lives.”
One of the regular customers of commuter bus drug sellers, Mrs Daramola Adio, says she finds nothing wrong in buying drugs in the bus.
“I don’t see anything wrong in buying drugs inside a bus. Are those who sell the drugs not human beings? They are even well known among the commercial bus drivers and traders, and as such, they have no hiding place. Sometimes they give out their contacts in the bus for their customers to locate them and lodge complaints, if anything goes wrong,” She said.
Another regular buyer, Anslem Itotoi claims that condemning those that trade drugs inside public buses is like calling a dog a bad name.
“If we have to be candid with ourselves, most pharmacy shops in Nigeria do not really have professionals at the stores.
“Most of them would open a pharmacy shop and put one of their brothers or sisters there to attend to people, while the owner would take another job with either government or private establishments. What would you make of this?”
He went further to give reasons why Nigerians prefer to buy drugs inside commuter buses than regular pharmacy stores.
“Some of the major reasons why people still continue to patronise the drug sellers inside public bus is because their drugs are cheaper.
“So the onus is on NAFDAC and other agencies to continue to enlighten the public on the dangers inherent in buying drugs from unregistered persons or places. By so doing, our health status would be better for it.”
A certified pharmacist, Mr Oladimeji Sobowale, 45, when asked on how to avoid administering wrong medication to patients, he said: “When anyone is not feeling well, the person goes to see the doctor who will check up the person and refer him or her for test.
“It is the result of the test that the pharmacist works with to determine the medication that will suit the patients system.
“So you can see that it is not advisable to just administer anything to anyone because certain symptom is detected.”
Commenting on how hawking of fake drugs could be eradicated in Nigeria, the Public Relations Officer of NAFDAC, South-South Zone, Cyril Monye, opined that vast majority of death recorded in the early 2014 was caused by unregistered and unapproved drugs which were purchased in commercial buses.
He added that: “We have developed a modality in spearheading global efforts in the fight against fake drugs via the use of Truscan.
“This is a hand held devise, to detect counterfeit medicines on the spot. We have also concluded plans to mobilise a monitoring group that will ensure the prohibition of sales of drugs through uncertified mediums.”
It would take another strong woman like Late Akinyilu to reduce the supply of fake drug.
ReplyDeletereally bad they have killed so many coz of money
ReplyDelete