The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has said less than half of the medicines in the country are handled by qualified health professionals.

The newly elected chairman of the association, Aloba Olatunji Isaac, disclosed this at the weekend in Abuja during the association’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) and election.

The tenure of the new executive will run till 2028.

He said, “In all the places that you see around we have just less than 50% involvement of core professionals in handling drugs. Drugs are meant to be handled by only professionals.”

He lamented that there’s a lot of infiltration and quackery in the practice of pharmacy in the country, adding that pharmacy is a professional discipline.

He said the situation has further led to the proliferation of fake and adulterated medicines in the country.

He said some charlatans pose as community pharmacists on some premises, adding that some private hospitals employ non-professionals instead of pharmacists.

He also said there is a need to strengthen regulatory agencies to sanitise the environment.