The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, has urged the Rivers State Government to ensure that all health facilities in the state fully implement the National Policy on Pharmacovigilance.
She made the call in Port Harcourt during a stakeholders’ meeting themed “Grassroots Community Sensitisation on Pharmacovigilance.”
The National Policy on Pharmacovigilance is a government guideline that ensures all medicines are closely monitored for safety and that any harmful reactions are promptly reported and addressed.
Speaking through the Director of the Pharmacovigilance Directorate, Dr Uchenna Elemuwa, the NAFDAC DG explained that the policy, created in 2012, outlines the responsibilities of health ministries, healthcare workers, and patients in ensuring the safety of medicines.
According to her, the policy requires every health facility to monitor the safety of medicines. She appealed to the state government to involve all levels of healthcare—tertiary, secondary, primary, as well as private hospitals—so that reports of adverse drug reactions can be properly documented.
Professor Adeyeye also warned about the rising rate of drug abuse among young people. She said the problem has serious consequences and advised parents to pay closer attention to their children.
On his part, the Rivers State NAFDAC coordinator, Emmanuel Onogwu, encouraged the public to “report any strange or harmful reaction noticed after using a medicine.”
NAFDAC calls for enforcement of drug safety policy in all Rivers hospitals