Cletus Shurkuk, Plateau’s Commissioner for Health, says the state has constructed a modern drugs and commodities warehouse to combat fake drugs.

Mr Shurkuk said this when he briefed journalists on Monday in Jos at the state’s monthly press briefing.

He said the warehouse would be used as a storage facility for drugs and other medical and health-related commodities, which would be sold to the public, thereby ensuring sanity and mitigating the use of fake medicines.

He pointed out that the warehouse was constructed after the state established the Drugs and Medical Commodities Management Agency.

According to him, the project cost is set at N590,458,290.00.

The official further revealed that the inspectorate unit of the ministry had been strengthened for optimal performance.

Mr Shurkuk said that the unit had been strengthened, and more private health facilities in the state had been brought into the ministry’s database. He added that their activities were regularly checked to combat quackery and improve the quality of healthcare service delivery to the populace.

He further said the ministry’s inspection and supervision of pharmacies and patient medicine shops were carried out in conjunction with the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria (PCN) to ensure ethical practices were followed.

The official also said the ministry, in collaboration with the Christian Blind Mission (CBM), had renovated, equipped and commissioned the eye unit at the General Hospital Pankshin to cater to all eye-related illnesses of people in the Central Senatorial Zone of the state. 

(NAN)