The Social Democratic Party(SDP) Presidential Candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo has promised a reform in Nigeria’s Pharmaceutical industry if elected into power.
Prince Adebayo spoke during the 95th Annual National Conference of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria on Thursday 3rd November in Jos, Plateau State.
The SDP presidential candidate says his party will create a stable environment in order for the pharmaceutical industry to be able to conduct research that will benefit the health sector and the economy.
He said, “You need a stable environment, the country has to be secure, then the business environment has to be protected and the regimes have to have policies that are stable so that your investments don't go to waste.
“The first thing we will guarantee you is stability; your neighborhood will be safe. There will be no riots, no unrest, and no boundaries, no kidnapping. You will be able to set up concerns from possible research to production, even to dispensation where you have your pharmacies across”.
Speaking further on his plans to enhance the health sector, Adebayo said, “I will ensure that public hospitals, including public dispensaries, are well-stocked and they are up to date.
“I would ensure that professionals when they finish from school, the first point of call before they go into private practice is a strong public health sector so that you will have spent a number of years using government money to do government resources, to do facilities before you go out to major on your own. The best health care people should be retained by the government.
“Thirdly, we will stabilize our currency. I'm not saying I will give you 1 naira to $1, no, I am saying that for planning purposes, if you have 500 naira to the dollar in year one you have 500, not a dollar.
“The last thing which I will do is that we should have a system for the retention of our manpower in this country”.
He also noted that the economy needs to be kept stable because a lot of the components for the health sector, like medicine manufacturing, has foreign trade component to it.
Adebayo further disclosed that his party will take care of poverty, create nutritional balance for Nigerians by making sure there’s food supply, provide housing and create adequate access to healthcare.
“In our government, we will take care of poverty, and to take care of poverty, you need to do five things.
“First, you need to know that the revenue coming into the country has to be preserved for the people of that country; second thing we will do is that we need to give nutritional balance to our people; then housing which is very important to health and to instability; then we deal with general issue of accessing health care.
“The fifth component is that we need to give education to our people; education is what differentiates you from your cousins who are bricklayers, carpenters and whatever”, he said.
Prince Adewole said his government will support the pharmacy profession so that it will be self-regulating and have the highest standard of professional training given to pharmacists within the country and internationally.
He said, “Because pharmaceutical field is also an employment both in the public and private sector, we will ensure that you have living wages and people who practice pharmacy do not automatically sign the oath of poverty”.
The SDP presidential candidate was accompanied by former minister of sports, Solomon Dalung, Sen Ugochukwu Uba, Pastor Ade Alabi, Godwin Osigbeme.
Other persons present at the conference were Omoyele Sowore of AAC, representatives from other parties includes, Labour Party Plateau State Youth coordinator and Nentawe Yilwatda, APC Plateau State gubernatorial candidate.
The theme of the conference was: “Synergizing Healthcare Professionals For Effective Delivery: Nigeria Post 2023 In Context”.