Susan Abayomi
The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) has called on the Federal Government to approve a national Pharmacy First protocol that would position community pharmacies as frontline points for the early detection and referral of suspected Ebola cases and other infectious diseases.
The association’s National Chairman, Pharm. Ezeh Ambrose, said Nigeria could strengthen its epidemic surveillance and emergency response by leveraging the extensive network of community pharmacies across the country’s 774 local government areas.
According to him, integrating community pharmacies into the national disease surveillance system would support early identification of suspected infections, facilitate prompt referrals to designated health facilities and reduce pressure on secondary and tertiary hospitals.
Under the proposed framework, community pharmacists would provide symptom recognition, health education, basic screening and referrals for individuals suspected of having infectious diseases. The protocol would also support appropriate isolation guidance and contact-tracing efforts in line with established public health procedures.
The association noted that the initiative could help minimise unnecessary exposure in crowded hospital environments by ensuring that suspected cases are identified and directed to appropriate healthcare facilities without delay.
However, ACPN stressed that successful implementation would require investment in Good Pharmacy Practice, digital surveillance tools and standardised reporting systems linked to national health databases.
It also called for stronger collaboration between community pharmacies, primary healthcare centres and health insurance providers to ensure effective coordination, timely referrals and continuity of care.
Citing the United Kingdom’s experience, the association noted that community pharmacies had helped maintain access to healthcare services during public health emergencies, highlighting the potential benefits of integrating pharmacy services into Nigeria’s epidemic preparedness strategy.
ACPN warned that excluding community pharmacies from the country’s frontline public health response could create gaps in disease detection and weaken national health security, particularly during outbreaks requiring rapid identification and containment.
Pharm. Ezeh urged President Bola Tinubu to issue an executive directive to facilitate the immediate rollout of the proposed protocol.
He argued that Nigeria already has an established community pharmacy network that could be mobilised quickly, potentially within 48 hours, without requiring additional infrastructure expenditure from the government, although effective implementation would still depend on appropriate training, equipment, reporting systems and coordination.
The association further called for the establishment of a joint task force involving the Federal Ministry of Health to develop clinical guidelines, referral procedures and operational standards for the programme.
It maintained that a coordinated approach involving pharmacists and other healthcare professionals would strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to detect suspected infectious diseases early, improve referrals and respond more effectively to public health emergencies.
The proposed Pharmacy First protocol represents ACPN’s call for a broader, community-based approach to epidemic preparedness, with community pharmacies playing a complementary role alongside established healthcare facilities and public health authorities.
