Experts seek penalties for manufacturers of poor maternal medicines

Stakeholders in the public and private health sectors have advocated stiffer penalties for manufacturers and distributors of poor-quality maternal medicines in the country.

They made the call in Abuja at a programme on leveraging public-private partnerships (PPP) to improve access to quality maternal medicines, organised by the Nigeria Health Watch.

Kayode Afolabi, director/head, reproductive health division, federal ministry of health, said the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) as the regulatory agency in the sector should be further strengthened.

“This will enable NAFDAC ensure such sub-standard products are not allowed into the country and then we need to look at the supply chain process, particularly those maternal health products that need to be stored with certain conditions of temperature.

“Can we maintain cold chain and if there are gaps, how do we address the gap should be our priority,’’ he said.

Kay Adesola, president, the Association of Nigerian Private Medical Practitioners (ANPMP), said good regulatory mechanisms with penalties should be put in place to curb the circulation of substandard medicines.

“We all must take the issue of access to quality medicines as our business since no one is exempted from health concerns. Good mechanisms in form of regulatory policies with effective implementations.

“Such measures must, however, not be seen taking the place of appropriate penalties to deter the die-hards importing these substandard drugs just for monetary gain.

“In some climes, some similar culprits are made to face stiff penalties such as death sentence or life in jail. Apply penalties and see the mileage we will achieve in making maternal medicines safer and more lives saved,” he said.

On his part, Chimezie Anyakora, CEO, Bloom Public Health, in a panel discussion gave insight into the critical role of supply chain management in ensuring the quality of maternal medicines in the country.

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He said maternal medicine quality was determined by factors, including manufacturing, supply, storage and distribution of these medicines.

Anyakora stated that concerted efforts and strategic partnership among stakeholders were essential to building capacity in supply chain management in ensuring the quality of medicines for the end-users.

In her presentation, Chioma Ejekam, consultant public health physician, said all women needed access to high quality care during pregnancy and childbirth. She explained that most maternal deaths were preventable as the health care solutions to prevent or manage complications were well-known.

Ejekam, however, said the issue of quality around these maternal medicines has become a global concern as substandard or falsified (SF) medical products had long been acknowledged as a threat to individual and public health.

On her part, Vivianne Ihekweazu, managing director, Nigeria Health Watch, said there should be stronger accountability to reinforce sanctions for substandard medicines.

She canvassed the need for policymakers, stakeholders and health workers to work together to improve pharmacovigilance to impact the quality of care they deliver.

“There is a need for a stronger reporting system and cross-collaboration to detect falsified medicines and prevent them from getting to the bedside of a mother,” she said.