Pharmacists Say No To New Health Commissions

Pharmacists under the aegis of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) have cautioned the National Assembly against tampering with the National Health Act 2014 to accommodate additional Commissions which would undermine statutory powers of existing professional regulatory bodies of the country’s healthcare system.

Reacting to fallout from the public hearings by the House of Representatives on November 18, 2025 and at the Senate on November 24, 2025 where strong propositions for new Commissions were made, including a Surrogacy Commission, a National Accreditation and Standards Commission, a Tertiary Health Institutions Commission, and Sickle Cell Research and Therapy Centres across the six geopolitical zones and the FCT; ACPN described the move as economically unrealistic and unnecessary.

In a statement jointly signed by the ACPN National Chairman, Pharm. Ambrose Igwekamma Ezeh, and National Secretary, Pharm. Omokhafe Ashore, the association contended that ‘’the attempt to create three Commissions from the legal structures established in NH-Act 2014 is unnecessary because all endeavours pertaining to the regulation of control of organ trafficking and procurement, surrogacy and the monitoring/regulatory appraisals of standards, or accreditation of tertiary hospital facilities is already lawfully vested in the National Tertiary Health Institutions Standards Committee (NTHISC).’’

ACPN further stated that, as a creation of the NH-Act 2014, the National Tertiary Health Institutions Standards Committee (NTHISC) is empowered to exercise effective regulation and control of the systems, adding that what is needed is adequate oversight responsibilities by the National Assembly.

It argued that instead of establishing more commissions, ‘’the National Assembly ought to insist on providing a robust budget that positions the NTHISC to carry out its statutory responsibilities within the purview of law (NH-Act 2014).

‘’The clamour for a National Accreditation and Quality Control as well as Tertiary Health Institution Commission does not arise at all, because the NTHISC already has an approbation in law to directly regulate and control the Tertiary Health Institutions.’’

Continuing, ACPN said, ‘’the mandate of accreditation and prescribing quality control for the generality of Care Facilities is a direct responsibility of the Professional Regulatory Councils in Nigeria, which is why all the Registrar/CEOs of these councils are members of the NTHISC.’’

Speaking on the proposed seven Sickle Cell Research and Therapy Centres simultaneously across the country, ACPN described it as “preposterous and unrealistic.” According to the body, existing national research bodies such as the Nigeria Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD) and the Nigeria Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) are not able to achieve their focal mandates because they are grossly underfunded.

Presently NIPRD, it argued, ‘’does not enjoy a recurrent or capital expenditure budget of up to N20m monthly which is why the pace of development is not upbeat in this Research Institute. It is therefore, a wild goose chase to expect appropriate funding for seven Sickle Cell Research Centres at once,’’ it said.

Looking forward, ACPN recommended the establishment of central Sickle Cell Research Centre and more Therapy centres in the 73 Federal Health Institutions (FHIs) ‘’to improve advocacy, counseling and treatment of Nigerians rather than creating new jobs for the boys in an already battle weary Health Sector.’’

ACPN frowned at an alleged indifferent attitude of both the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on health matters, in relation to what it referred to as ‘’despicable situation of healthcare funding, as well as partisan leadership of the incumbent leadership of the Physician – Ministers at the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH).

In the document, ACPN highlighted governance failure in the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) and its various MDAs; and the lingering non-reconstitution of the boards of management of the 73 Federal Health Institutions (FHIs), the inexplicable ‘’refusal to inaugurate the boards of the 13 professional regulatory councils in the Health Sector and indeed the boards of a plethora of most of the MDAs including some who have had floating Chairmen appointed for over one year.’’

It said that the disinterest of the government in the month-long strike by members of Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) because of unpaid salaries and entitlement for 12 years is a reflection of neglect and promotion of discrimination in the system