By RismadarVoice Reporters
January 4, 2026
Pharmacists across Nigeria have urged the Federal Government to ensure 2026 marks a shift from policy declarations to concrete reforms, warning that progress in the health sector will depend on firm action in regulation, workforce development, medicine security, and health system governance.
The Pharmacists said their expectations come after a mixed 2025, characterized by deep systemic challenges but also notable professional gains that strengthened the role of pharmacy practice within Nigeria’s healthcare system.
In an interview, President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Pharm. Aliyu Tanko, said pharmacists operated in 2025 amid economic pressure, regulatory disputes, workforce migration and evolving health reforms.
“Pharmacists worked in an environment shaped by economic strain, regulatory tensions and brain drain. However, 2025 also marked a turning point for professional assertion and system relevance,” Tanko said.
He said sustained advocacy, court rulings and policy engagement helped reposition Pharmacists as central contributors to healthcare delivery, regulation and medicine security.
“Key developments such as the reaffirmation of the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria’s regulatory authority, the formal protection of consultant Pharmacist roles and expanded public health participation through community pharmacy show that pharmacists are no longer peripheral actors,” he said.
Despite these gains, Tanko said Pharmacists faced persistent challenges in 2025, including attempts to dilute professional standards, undermine Consultant Pharmacists recognition and weaken regulatory control over medicines.
He also cited workforce strain caused by migration, heavy workloads, delayed reforms in remuneration and education, as well as inefficiencies linked to fragmented digital systems and administrative bottlenecks.
According to him, access to affordable medicines remained a major concern due to import dependence, foreign exchange volatility and supply-chain pressures.
Nevertheless, Tanko said Pharmacists recorded landmark victories during the year, including favourable court judgments, policy reversals, harmonization of retirement age and reforms in internship placement.
Looking ahead to 2026, the PSN President said Pharmacists’ expectations from the Federal Government are strategic and reform-oriented, beginning with strict enforcement of existing regulatory frameworks.
He called for full respect for the authority of the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria, compliance with judicial decisions and implementation of workforce reforms, including the Pharm.D transition, establishment of a postgraduate pharmacy college and a structured national internship system.
Tanko also urged the government to fully integrate Pharmacists into national health programmes, particularly at the primary healthcare and public health levels, where he said their expertise remains underutilized.
He further called for support for digital health transformation through the harmonization of licensing, inspection, continuing professional development and service delivery platforms across the sector.
In addition, Tanko said the PSN expects formal recognition as a core policy partner in health reform, medicine security and workforce planning.
“Above all, PSN seeks a functional partnership with government to build a resilient, people-centred and professionally governed health system,” he said.
On the outlook for 2026, Tanko said Pharmacists were cautiously optimistic, noting that the sector now has clearer regulatory authority and stronger institutional voice. He warned, however, that progress would depend on translating policy wins into action.
“If engagement is sustained, regulatory boundaries respected, 2026 could mark the transition from defensive professional struggles to proactive system-building,” he said.
Meanwhile, professional tensions persist within the health sector. The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has faulted the implementation of the Consultant Pharmacist cadre in two federal health institutions in Lagos State, warning that it could destabilize healthcare delivery.
In a communiqué issued after an emergency meeting in May 2025, the Lagos NMA Chairman, Dr. Babajide Saheed, and Secretary, Dr. Jimoh Hassan, argued that the cadre offered no clinical value and could fuel industrial disharmony.
The PSN, however, rejected the position, with its Lagos Chairman, Pharm. Babayemi Oyekunle, describing the NMA’s opposition as hostile. The PSN maintains that the Consultant Pharmacist cadre is legally backed by circulars and approvals from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, dating back to 2011 and reaffirmed in subsequent years.
