PSN offers free health services to Abuja residents

The Abuja branch of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) has offered free health services  to residents. The health outreach was held at  the Garki Ultra Modern Market , Abuja,  as part of activities to commemorate this year’ s World Pharmacists Day. Speaking during the exercise, Assistant Secretary of the branch, Tikare Olubukola, said the […]

The Abuja branch of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) has offered free health services  to residents.

The health outreach was held at  the Garki Ultra Modern Market , Abuja,  as part of activities to commemorate this year’ s World Pharmacists Day.

Speaking during the exercise, Assistant Secretary of the branch, Tikare Olubukola, said the pharmacists provided public health awareness and free health services such as blood pressure check,  eye check and provision of eye glasses, and medications for malaria and deworming of children among others.

She said government should enact policies to safeguard the country’ s borders to ensure only safe medicines come in.

“The populace should also ensure they access medicines from licensed pharmacies whether in the hospital or community,” she added.

Also, Aliyu Ibrahim, a past chairman of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria ( ACPN) Abuja chapter, advised Nigerians to be careful about their consumption of drugs adding that drugs could also harmful.

He said they should comply with their pharmacists guidelines or advise on drugs because there could be drug to drug interaction or drug to food interactions.

Earlier, Chairman of the Abuja branch of PSN, Jelili  Kilani, said medicines use could be complex and ensuring that people take their medicines safely and effectively had been a challenge for health services for many years .

“Incidents involving the use of medicines have a number of causes, for example lack of knowledge, failure to follow systems and protocols, interruptions  such as during prescribing, administration or dispensing, staff competency, poor instruction and poor communication,” he said.

He said the safe use of medicines was the responsibility of all professionals, healthcare institutions and patients, and should be discussed with patients and their carers.