Efforts to combat the sale of fake and expired drugs in Ogun State have received a boost following a resolution passed by the State House of Assembly. Lawmakers have called on the state government to intensify its efforts in tackling this pressing issue.
The passage of the resolution followed a motion moved by the Majority Leader, Yusuf Sheriff, seconded by Hon. Olakunle Sobukanla, and supported by the Whole House through a voice vote.
Earlier while opening debate on the motion, the sponsor, who is the Chairman, of the House Committee on Health and a member representing Yewa North 2 State Constituency, Wahab Haruna, decried the high rate of fake and expired drugs, citing an instance of some of his constituents who recently purchased an expired drug at a pharmacy.
He sought the need for the State Government to empower the State Ministry of Health, State Hospital Management Board, and other relevant agencies to embark on proper monitoring of the pharmaceutical stores across the State to ensure that fake and expired drugs were taken off the shelves.
Hon. Haruna appealed that the State Ministry of Health and other Professional bodies in the sector across the State collaborate to combat the menace while ensuring appropriate sanctions and fines were put in place to serve as deterrents to future perpetrators.
Other lawmakers who spoke in support of the resolution including Honourable Babatunde Tella, Oluseun Adesanya, and Adegoke Adeyanju said the effect of counterfeit drugs on the people were always too risky, applauding the State Government for taking proactive measures to centralize drug testing and distribution through the State central medicine store to all public health facilities in the State.
They called for the deployment of more digital machines to check the status of drugs centrally before being dispensed in the State.
In his response, the Speaker said the selfish desire for inappropriate maximization of profit by unscrupulous elements in the sector led to the menace in the country, pointing out that the grave consequences of fake drugs made some Asian nations resort to subjecting the peddlers to capital punishments.
He implored the various enforcement and regulatory agencies to step up measures towards checkmating the sales and distribution of fake and expired drugs nationwide.
