ACPN Urges Tinubu to Include Community Pharmacists in NHIA

The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), led by National Chairman Pharm Ambros Igwekamma Ezeh, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately integrate registered community pharmacists into the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) scheme. This request was made during a press briefing to unveil preparations for the ACPN's 45th Annual International Scientific Conference scheduled for July 27 to August 1, 2026, in Abuja.

Ezeh emphasized that this integration could transform and reform the healthcare system, expanding access to affordable healthcare, ensuring the availability of quality medicine, and strengthening medicine safety. He pointed out that community pharmacists are often the first point of healthcare access for many Nigerians.

The ACPN insists that the NHIA framework must be inclusive of community pharmacists to improve healthcare access without the need for significant capital investment in new infrastructure. Ezeh also warned against the dangers of unlicensed medicine vendors, which contribute to the proliferation of counterfeit and substandard medicines in Nigeria.