The West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists (WAPCP), Nigeria Chapter, has called on the federal and state governments to implement the consultant pharmacist cadre across the country.
It described the move as critical to improving patient care, medication safety and the overall quality of healthcare delivery.
The call was made during a press conference ahead of the College’s 8th Scientific Conference and Annual General Meeting (AGM) scheduled to be held from 12 July to 14, 2026, at the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) Auditorium, Yaba, Lagos.
At the briefing, the chairperson of the WAPCP Nigeria Chapter, Dr Afusat Adesina, commended the Federal Ministry of Health for introducing the consultant pharmacist cadre and praised states such as Niger, Osun, Adamawa, and Katsina for implementing the policy.
She, however, expressed concern that several federal health institutions and state governments had yet to domesticate the initiative, urging them to act without further delay.
According to her, institutions including the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH), Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH), as well as state governments such as Lagos, Kaduna and Enugu, have yet to implement the consultant pharmacist cadre despite its potential to strengthen healthcare outcomes.
“The implementation of the consultant pharmacist cadre is essential to fully harness the expertise of specialist pharmacists in improving patient care, medication safety and healthcare delivery across Nigeria,” she said.
Adesina noted that this year’s conference, themed “Expanding Consultant Pharmacists’ Clinical Roles in Nigeria to Optimise Patient Care and Medication Safety,” is designed to promote wider recognition of consultant pharmacists as integral members of multidisciplinary healthcare teams.
She explained that consultant pharmacists play increasingly important roles globally in improving therapeutic outcomes, reducing medication errors, promoting antimicrobial stewardship, strengthening chronic disease management and supporting evidence-based clinical decision-making.
She stressed that Nigeria must continue to expand opportunities for specialist pharmacists to contribute more effectively to the country’s healthcare system.
The three-day conference is expected to attract more than 200 delegates, including consultant pharmacists specialising in Clinical Pharmacy, Social and Administrative Pharmacy, Drug Production and Quality Assurance, and Public Health Pharmacy, alongside academics, healthcare professionals, policymakers, regulators, researchers, pharmaceutical industry executives and postgraduate trainees from Nigeria and the diaspora.
According to the organisers, the conference seeks to promote excellence in consultant pharmacy practice, improve medication safety across healthcare facilities, showcase innovative research, strengthen multidisciplinary collaboration, support evidence-based health policies and enhance the capacity of specialist pharmacists.
The College said these objectives align with broader efforts to achieve safer, more effective and accessible healthcare services for Nigerians.
WAPCP also called on consultant pharmacists, physicians, nurses, researchers, regulators, development partners, pharmaceutical manufacturers, postgraduate trainees, students and other stakeholders to participate in the conference.
It further urged the media to sustain its partnership in promoting accurate health information and increasing public awareness of the vital contributions of pharmacists to Nigeria’s healthcare system and national development.
The College maintained that expanding the consultant pharmacist cadre nationwide would not only improve medication safety and patient outcomes but also strengthen the country’s healthcare system by ensuring that highly trained pharmaceutical specialists play a greater role in clinical decision-making and healthcare delivery.