The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria, ACPN, has called on President Bola Tinubu to integrate registered community pharmacists into the National Health Insurance Authority, NHIA, scheme to expand access to affordable healthcare and fast-track Universal Health Coverage.
Speaking at a press briefing to announce the ACPN’s 45th Annual International Scientific Conference in Abuja on Thursday, the National Chairman of the association, Ambrose Ezeh, said excluding community pharmacists from the NHIA framework weakens the health insurance programme, despite 80% of Nigerians seeking care first at pharmacies.
He said integrating community pharmacists into the NHIA would improve access to quality medicines, strengthen medicine safety and reduce the burden on hospitals.
The conference, themed “Unity 2026: From Local Pharmacy Practice to Global Impact – Managing Complex Political Systems,” is scheduled to hold from July 27 to August 1, 2026, at the Abuja Ahmed Bola Tinubu International Conference Centre.
Ezeh stressed that nearly 80 per cent of Nigerians first seek healthcare from community pharmacies before visiting hospitals, making pharmacists indispensable to the country’s primary healthcare system.
He noted that government could significantly improve healthcare delivery by leveraging the extensive network of licensed community pharmacies across the country instead of investing heavily in new health facilities.
“Most Nigerians live closer to a community pharmacy than to a major hospital. Integrating community pharmacists into the NHIA means healthcare becomes available where people live, reducing travel time, lowering healthcare costs and improving timely access to quality medicines,” he said.
He, however, stressed that any integration must be supported by a transparent and equitable reimbursement system that complies with the provisions of the NHIA Act to ensure fairness among healthcare providers and guarantee the sustainability of the health insurance programme.
Ezeh, also advocated policy reforms that would promote innovation, strengthen public-private partnerships and create a more enabling environment for community pharmacy practice.
According to him, pharmacy practice has evolved beyond dispensing medicines to include medication therapy management, disease prevention, pharmaceutical care and broader public health interventions.
The ACPN chairman, however, reaffirmed the association’s commitment to improving professional standards through Mandatory Continuing Professional Development (MCPD), research, innovation and continuous capacity building.
He further cautioned Nigerians against purchasing medicines from unlicensed vendors, warning that such outlets contribute significantly to the circulation of counterfeit and substandard medicines.
He urged members of the public to obtain medicines only from registered pharmacies supervised by licensed pharmacists, adding that integrating community pharmacies into the NHIA would further strengthen medicine quality assurance through regulated pharmaceutical outlets.
Describing community pharmacists as an underutilised national healthcare asset, Ezeh said their inclusion in the NHIA would deliver immediate improvements in healthcare access while addressing challenges posed by the migration of healthcare professionals, manpower shortages and fragile medicine supply chains.
Also speaking, Chairman of the Conference Planning Committee (CPC), Chidi Dozie, said all arrangements had been concluded for what he described as one of the association’s biggest scientific conferences.
He disclosed that committees responsible for logistics, security, protocol, hospitality, exhibitions and scientific sessions had incorporated lessons from previous conferences to ensure a world-class event.
According to him, participants will benefit from internationally benchmarked exhibitions, robust scientific sessions and networking opportunities aimed at strengthening collaboration among healthcare professionals and stakeholders.
Dozie announced that the conference would attract top government officials, policymakers, healthcare administrators, pharmaceutical industry leaders and international experts to deliberate on healthcare governance, medicine security, digital transformation, pharmaceutical innovation and leadership development.
Among dignitaries expected at the event are President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Honourable Tajudeen Abbas; Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, who will chair the conference; Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate; Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Barr. Nyesom Wike; Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako; and Minister of State for the FCT, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud Bunkure.
The keynote address will be delivered by the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Evans Therapeutics Ltd., Adewale Oyenuga, while the President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Pharm. Ayuba Tanko Ibrahim, will serve as Chief Host.
As part of activities marking the conference, the ACPN said residents of the Federal Capital Territory would benefit from free medical screenings, hepatitis awareness campaigns, vaccination exercises and other preventive healthcare programmes.
The association expressed optimism that deliberations at the conference would produce practical policy recommendations to strengthen Nigeria’s healthcare system, expand access to quality healthcare services and position community pharmacists as key partners in achieving universal health coverage.
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