The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) has formally requested that Senate President Godswill Akpabio block the National Health Facility Regulatory Agency (NHFRA) Bill. The group warns that this legislation could destabilize an already strained healthcare system.
In an official petition signed by National Chairman Pharm. Ambrose Ezeh, the association argued that the bill unnecessarily duplicates existing regulations. They highlighted that the National Health Act of 2014 already provides the necessary framework for governing health facilities across the country.
The ACPN emphasized that Nigeria currently manages regulatory oversight through established bodies like the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria and the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria. Introducing the NHFRA would, according to the group, merely waste limited public funds by overlapping with these functions.
The pharmacists suggested that the government should instead focus on activating the Tertiary Health Facility Commission to oversee federal hospitals, as allowed by current law. Furthermore, the association strongly opposed the bill’s requirement that only medical doctors serve as the Director-General of the new agency. They warned that this push to consolidate power under one profession would incite conflict among healthcare stakeholders.
