The FCT branch of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) has called for stronger integration of traditional medicine into Nigeria’s healthcare system.

It also urged the federal government to recognise community pharmacies as primary healthcare centres.

The call was made on Thursday in Abuja during the 2025 World Pharmacists Day celebration, themed “Think Health, Think Pharmacists,” as declared by the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP).

Abubakar Danraka, Abuja zonal coordinator of the West African Postgraduate College of Pharmacists (WAPCP), said pharmacists were leading efforts to standardise herbal and traditional remedies for safe use.

He said the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare already had a Department of Traditional and Alternative Medicine, while the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD) was actively developing indigenous medicines.

“Drug development begins with ethnopharmacology, our communities’ knowledge. NIPRD is ensuring that herbal medicines are standardised and made safe.

“What we need now is political will, institutional support, legal backing, and funding,” he said.

Mr Danraka also cited the Nigerian Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA), led by a pharmacy professor, as another key institution that formulates herbal treatments used for various conditions.

PSN-FCT chairman, Salamatu Orakwelu, said the World Pharmacists Day celebration provided a platform to spotlight the essential roles pharmacists play in healthcare delivery.

“Pharmacists are not just dispensers; we conduct research and ensure medicines are accessible, affordable, effective, and used rationally,” she said.

She stressed the importance of collaboration in the profession and highlighted challenges such as workforce shortages and financial pressures, while reaffirming pharmacists’ commitment to patient care.

Also speaking, Olatunji Aloba, chairman of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN), FCT chapter, renewed the call for community pharmacies to be officially designated as primary healthcare centres.

“Pharmacies are often the first point of contact for patients. Globally, they already serve as PHCs. Nigeria should adopt this standard,” he said.

(NAN)