By Monsurat Abisoye
The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) has called on Senate President Godswill Akpabio to stop the proposed National Health Facility Regulatory Agency (NHFRA) Bill, warning that it could trigger fresh tensions in Nigeria’s health sector.
In a petition to the Senate titled, “Stop the National Health Facility Regulatory Agency (NHFRA) Bill in National Interest”, and signed by its National Chairman, Pharm. Ambrose Ezeh, the association described the proposed legislation as an unnecessary duplication of existing laws and regulatory frameworks.
The ACPN argued that the National Health Act of 2014 already provides adequate legal backing for the regulation of health facilities across the country. It noted that established agencies, including the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria and the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, already perform key regulatory functions.
According to the association, the real regulatory gap exists in federal tertiary hospitals, such as teaching hospitals and Federal Medical Centres, and should be addressed by activating the Tertiary Health Facility Commission provided for under existing law rather than creating another bureaucracy.
The pharmacists also alleged that the bill seeks to centralise health sector regulation under medical doctors, citing provisions that reserve the position of Director-General exclusively for physicians. The association warned that such a move could destabilise the relative peace among health professionals and would face strong resistance from stakeholders.
