As I stood in front of the mirror, I adjusted my tie to fit properly into the collar of my grey, long-sleeved shirt. I knew there was a busy day ahead, especially because Mondays are different due to the backlogs from the weekend and the enormous number of patients visiting the cardiovascular clinic at the hospital.
Upon arriving at the dispensary, I noticed that the drugs were arranged on the shelf according to their pharmacological indications, with the over-the-counter drugs (OTC) mostly located on the dispensing table. It struck me how these seemingly magical pills were capable of producing remarkable effects within the human body.
My mind was then transported back to our days at the pharmacy school, where my professor, wearing a lovely white coat, would yell from a distance, reminding us that a single mistake on our part could potentially result in the loss of a patient's life. It was then that I recalled the words of Paracelsus, "All substances (drugs) are poisons; there is none which is not; the dose differentiates a poison from a remedy."
As I observed the crowded patients waiting outside the doctor's consulting room, I couldn't help but feel a sense of frustration. It bothered me that the pharmacy was often the last point of visit for patients, who were already exhausted and lacked the temperament to listen to what the pharmacist had to say.
Unfortunately, the patients are not always patient, as they often stand by the door or thrust their heads through the window in anticipation of collecting their medications. This made me wonder if it was only about the collection of medications. How about how the drugs should be taken? or the expected side effects?
Outside the hospital, countless individuals parade themselves as drug experts, wearing the hat of a professional without the proper qualifications. It perturbed me to hear the story of a patient who end up swallowing a suppository because she was not counseled properly at the medicine store. How many more incidents like this are waiting to happen?
The shortage of pharmacists in Nigeria puts a serious strain on the available workforce. As a newbie, I find it overwhelming to work for more than 48 hours a week. However, people are often quick to say, "Is that not what you were trained for?" I cannot help but think, if the captain is sick, who will take care of the ailing vessel?
There is no better time than now to emphasize the critical role of pharmacists in the healthcare setting. Sadly, however, the numbers are not encouraging. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria has one pharmacist for every 10,000 people. A ratio significantly below the World Health Organization's recommended standard of one pharmacist to every 2,000 people.
