FG backs procurement reform to end waste, fake drugs in health sector

By Luminous Jannamike

ABUJA – The Federal Government has moved to fortify wellness assemblage procurement by certifying a caller radical of officers done the CIPS–HPA Nigeria qualification programme.

Officials accidental the betterment is aimed astatine reducing waste, improving transparency, and ensuring entree to harmless and affordable medicines.

The announcement was made astatine a graduation ceremonial successful Abuja, wherever the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Dr. Adebowale Adedokun, the Country Director of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS), Chukwudi Uche, and the CIPS Country Manager, Pharm. Omokhapue Joseph, addressed participants.

Dr. Adedokun said the certification represents nonrecreational competence and ethical standards successful procurement.

“Your occurrence means that pistillate who requires basal wellness attraction and that kid who needs basal aesculapian drugs tin consciousness assured that they volition get modular prescriptions erstwhile they sojourn immoderate wellness facility,” helium told the graduates.

He added that the inaugural would assistance forestall malpractice successful the sector.

“That we present person a harvest of radical who volition accidental nary to fake drugs, who volition accidental nary to ostentation of contracts, and who volition accidental nary to incorrect prescriptions is what this certificate means,” helium said.

The BPP Director-General besides noted that the authorities had revised procurement thresholds to bespeak economical realities and introduced modular documents and sourcing strategies for wellness procurement.

Dr. Adedokun urged each procurement officers to registry connected the National Procurement Officers Management System, informing that those not listed would not beryllium recognised arsenic professionals.

“If you are not there, you are not a procurement officer. You are a quack,” helium said.

CIPS Country Director, Chukwudi Uche, highlighted the economical benefits of the programme, saying immoderate participating states had already recorded important savings.

“Through our support, immoderate of these states person recorded astir 40 to 50 per cent betterment successful the outgo of wellness products. The accusation is that much Nigerians tin present entree affordable, quality-assured medicines,” Uche said.

He explained that improved procurement practices were besides enabling section manufacturers to program and put much effectively, strengthening the proviso chain.

Pharm. Omokhapue Joseph said participants were drawn from national and authorities agencies, including the Federal Ministry of Health, the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria, and the BPP.

“We spot these officers arsenic catalysts and alteration agents that tin assistance regulators marque amended policies and guidelines to betterment the wellness sector,” helium said.

He added that the intervention, supported by the Gates Foundation, was designed to code longstanding weaknesses successful wellness procurement by gathering capableness and improving accountability.

The officials stressed that the reforms would assistance guarantee coherence, trim duplication, and amended ratio successful wellness procurement crossed the country.

The station FG backs procurement betterment to extremity waste, fake drugs successful wellness sector appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.