Health
Ebola: Community Pharmacists Urge Adoption Of ‘Pharmacy First’ Protocol
The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) has urged the Federal Government to adopt a nationwide ‘Pharmacy First’ protocol to strengthen early detection of Ebola and other infectious diseases.
The association said the initiative would integrate community pharmacies into Nigeria’s disease surveillance system to facilitate early identification of suspected cases, prompt referrals and improved epidemic preparedness.
The National Chairman of ACPN, Mr Ezeh Ambrose, made the call in a statement on Friday, urging federal and state health authorities to recognise community pharmacists as partners in epidemic surveillance and primary healthcare delivery.
He said implementing the protocol across the country’s 774 local government areas (LGAs) would bring early symptom identification closer to communities, especially those with limited access to conventional healthcare facilities.
“We consider it necessary to sensitise and mobilise the Federal Government to approve specific investment plans to leverage the Pharmacy First Initiative as a front-line Ebola detection protocol,” he said.
According to him, the initiative could help advance universal health coverage (UHC) in Nigeria.
The association said the initiative would expand community pharmacists’ roles beyond dispensing medicines to include early symptom recognition, health education, basic screening and referral of individuals presenting symptoms suggestive of Ebola or other infectious diseases.
Ezeh said properly structured community pharmacies could serve as accessible first-contact points, referring suspected cases to designated health facilities for assessment and testing.
He added that the approach could strengthen referral pathways, support contact tracing and provide timely guidance on isolation and further medical evaluation.
The association said the initiative could also reduce the risk of exposure in crowded hospital settings and ease pressure on secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities.
“In view of changing times, community pharmacists must respond accordingly to explore investment opportunities with free funds to achieve the goals of Good Pharmacy Practice (GPP) in the realistic interest of patients,” Ezeh added.
The association identified gaps in policy leadership, digital integration, evidence generation, quality improvement and collaboration among healthcare professionals as challenges to Nigeria’s epidemic preparedness.
It proposed a reform framework focused on a unified vision for epidemic preparedness, improved clinical quality and public trust, digital technology and data-driven surveillance, stronger collaboration with primary healthcare centres and partnerships with health insurance providers.
ACPN also called for standardised reporting systems through which community pharmacies could transmit surveillance data to national health databases to support disease monitoring and early identification of potential outbreaks.
Citing international experience, Ezeh said community pharmacy networks had helped sustain access to essential healthcare services and support frontline clinical activities during public health emergencies.
He warned that delays in establishing effective grassroots surveillance mechanisms could undermine outbreak response and expose healthcare workers, patients and the wider population to avoidable risks.
“We require zero infrastructure expenditure from the government to deploy this immediately.
“We urge President Bola Tinubu to issue the enabling policy directive today, and our national network will activate the ‘Pharmacy First’ screening protocol within 48 hours,” Ezeh said.
The association urged the Federal Government to establish a joint task force to formalise the framework, including clinical guidelines, referral procedures, surveillance protocols and coordination mechanisms for community pharmacists. (NAN)
Edited by Tosin Kolade
