PSN Endorses FG’s Circulars On Consultant Pharmacists, Highlights Benefits For Patient Outcomes
LAGOS – The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Lagos State Branch, has expressed strong support for the Federal Government’s circulars endorsing the appointment of Consultant Pharmacists in Federal Health Institutions (FHIs), saying the move will enhance patient safety, outcomes, and sector efficiency.
The PSN Lagos stressed that the appointment of Consultant Pharmacists in FHIs is a significant advancement for pharmacy practice and the broader Nigerian health sector.
It condemned the recent criticism from the physicians under the platform of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Lagos State, regarding the implementation of the Consultant Pharmacist Cadre by the Chief Executive Officers of Federal Health Institutions.
Responding to the NMA’s criticism, PSN particularly emphasised the importance of collaborative healthcare practices and the vital role of pharmacists in enhancing patient care.
In a statement, Pharm Babayemi Oyekunle, the Chairman, PSN, Lagos State, reaffirmed the society’s support for the federal government’s circulars authorising the appointment of Consultant Pharmacists in FHIs.
In the letter, titled, “NMA Lagos Issues New Ordinances In 2025,” described the development as a landmark advancement for pharmacy practice and the Nigerian health sector at large.
“Pharmacist Consultants are a reservoir of knowledge in medication management, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and therapeutic drug monitoring,” Oyekunle stated. “These competencies enhance patient safety, reduce prescription errors, and ultimately improve treatment outcomes in a cost-effective manner.”
According to Oyekunle, consultant pharmacists are central to a modern, interdisciplinary model of healthcare — one that mirrors international standards seen in countries such as the United Kingdom (UK), the United States of America (USA), Canada, Australia, and even several African nations including South Africa. Their expertise is vital in managing complex drug regimens, reducing medication-related complications, and optimising therapeutic outcomes for patients with chronic conditions.
“Globally, healthcare is moving towards collaborative care, where each professional brings their unique expertise to the table,” he noted. “The Consultant Pharmacist Cadre is aligned with this model and is crucial for achieving universal health coverage (UHC).”
He cited global data supporting pharmacist-led interventions in clinical care, including reduced hospital readmissions, better chronic disease management, and improved antibiotic stewardship — critical areas in which Consultant Pharmacists add measurable value.
Contrary to claims by the NMA that the cadre poses a threat to clinical care, Oyekunle clarified that the implementation followed due process. He pointed out that the National Council on Establishment (NCE), comprising all Heads of Service from Nigeria’s 36 states and the FCT, approved the cadre as far back as 2011, reaffirming this in 2020. This led to a series of official circulars from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF) outlining proper implementation guidelines for Federal Health Institutions.
“It is not a matter of opinion; it is policy,” Oyekunle stressed. “Institutions complying with this directive are acting lawfully and responsibly.”
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The statement partly reads, “The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) Lagos State Branch has been inundated with an audacious communique and other declarations of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) Lagos State in the last couple of days.
“In the recent position paper of the Lagos wing of physicians, they registered their disappointments on the compliance with Federal Government circulars on Consultant Pharmacist Cadre by the Chief Executive Officers of two Federal Health Institutions based in Lagos, while echoing their sentiments that a Consultant cadre for pharmacists offers no clinical value.
“While rejecting the appointments of Consultant Pharmacists, they gave an ultimatum to compliant Chief Executive Officers of Federal Health Institutions to immediately reverse the appointment irrespective of its legality, failure upon which its members in the two affected Federal Health Institutions in Lagos State should consider a warning strike.
“Its helmsmen was mandated to write the Federal Ministry of Health on the inherent danger of the Consultant Cadre in Pharmacy while a ”clear and strong warning is issued to all other Medical Directors and Chief Medical Directors contemplating the implementation of Consultant Pharmacist Cadre in their institutions.”
The Lagos PSN condemned what it described as the famous mantra of the physicians to celebrate a worthless and presumed hierarchical structure in healthcare which it claims privileges to Pharmacists and other health workers undermine. It noted that this is contrary to international/global best practices. “From the U.K where Pharmacists have been designated Consultants in the National Health Services, to the USA, Canada, Australia, Poland and even in African climes like South Africa, Ghana and unbelievably Sierra Leone, Consultant Cadre has been the norm in the Health System for decades without a disruption to the communality of the focus of health professionals which is patient care.”
The Lagos PSN decried the position of physicians that clinical care would be endangered with the introduction of the Consultant Cadre. “Unfortunately, it has not substantiated how patient safety will be compromised through data, case studies or empirical references. It rather relies on propaganda through vague and unscientific scenarios it attempts to paint albeit in amateurish propensities,” it added.
While the NMA Lagos has expressed its disapproval, even threatening industrial action over the implementation of the consultant pharmacist cadre, the PSN urged for professional maturity and collaborative engagement instead of what it termed “medical elitism” and “bully tactics.”
“Healthcare is not a battlefield; it is a shared mission,” Oyekunle said. “The benefits of the consultant pharmacist cadre are evident, and resisting it only delays progress in a system that urgently needs reform.”
Therefore, Oyekunle encouraged all stakeholders to move beyond territorialism and focus on patient-centered outcomes, reiterating that the integration of consultant pharmacists complements, rather than competes with, the work of physicians and other health professionals.
The statement reads, “Global healthcare currently embraces collaborative interdisciplinary care with premium emphasis on Consultant Pharmacists to improve medication safety, reduce prescription errors, better management profiles of chronic diseases and professional inclined stewardship roles in the sales, usage, prescription and dispensing of anti-infectives. The world seeks Universal Health Coverage which is about making care affordable and accessible to all consumers of health. This compels the global phenomenon of Task Shifting and Task Sharing in health delivery. Government and major health system regulators seek Consultants in the National Health Services, to reduce overall health costs associated with wastage in delayed health appointments while not compromising delivery of sound health outcomes.”
The chairman of PSN in Lagos State also addressed the challenges faced by pharmacists at the state level, particularly within the Lagos State Government, where efforts to implement the cadre have faced administrative roadblocks. He expressed optimism, however, that with sustained advocacy and stakeholder engagement, these barriers would be overcome.
“The consultant pharmacist cadre is not a privilege — it is a necessity,” Oyekunle concluded. “It is time for Lagos State and Nigeria as a whole to align with global best practices for the sake of the patients we all serve.”
Key Benefits of the consultant pharmacist cadre include the reduction of prescription errors and medication-related complications; enhancing chronic disease management and therapeutic outcomes; supports antimicrobial stewardship and rational drug use; aligns with international standards of collaborative care; and offers cost-effective solutions to healthcare delivery challenges.
As the debate continues, one thing is clear: a modern, patient-centered healthcare system must recognise and harness the full potential of every professional within its ranks — and that includes consultant pharmacists.