Bayero University, Kano (BUK), has inducted 47 new Doctors of Pharmacy (PharmD) during its 4th Oath-Taking and Induction Ceremony, marking their formal entry into the pharmacy profession.
Congratulating the graduands, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Haruna Musa, urged them to uphold the values of integrity, professionalism and excellence associated with the university. He spoke through the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Management Services, Professor Aliyu Mu’azu.
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Professor Musa reminded the inductees that they were ambassadors of Bayero University and charged them to protect the reputation of the institution wherever they find themselves.
He urged the new pharmacists to serve with empathy, uphold professional ethics and become problem-solvers and innovators capable of contributing to solutions to Nigeria’s healthcare challenges.
The Vice-Chancellor noted that the country continues to face challenges including drug misuse, substandard medicines and limited access to quality healthcare, stressing that pharmacists must contribute beyond the dispensing of medicines.
He said the graduates had successfully completed one of the university’s most rigorous programmes, which included classroom instruction, clinical clerkships at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital and practical exposure to pharmaceutical products and procedures.
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The Registrar of the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria, Pharm. Ibrahim B. Ahmed, represented by Dr Anthony Idoku, congratulated the inductees and described their achievement as a product of determination, resilience and hard work.
He urged the new pharmacists to uphold the highest ethical standards and demonstrate exemplary leadership in line with the professional code of the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria, which defines their responsibilities to patients, colleagues and the wider public.
Delivering the keynote address, the Deputy Director and Deputy Head of Pharmaceutical Services at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Pharm. Ahmed Ibrahim Umar, expressed concern over what he described as a retreat in Nigeria’s pharmacy workforce.
He said about 33,000 pharmacists had been registered in Nigeria since 1936, but only about 19,000 remained active in practice to serve a population of about 216 million people. He also cited an uneven distribution, with about 9,000 pharmacists in the South-West compared with approximately 1,500 in the North-West.
Pharm. Umar said the shortage had created gaps in healthcare delivery, noting that 83 per cent of child health services and 40 per cent of primary healthcare services were being handled by Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendors and other unqualified providers. He added that Kano State, with an estimated population of 20 million and 1,319 public healthcare facilities, has only 75 pharmacists in public service.
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He urged the newly inducted pharmacists to expand their roles in primary healthcare, hospitals, public health programmes, pharmaceutical industries, regulatory agencies and academia, while strengthening clinical pharmacy, antimicrobial stewardship, immunisation, disease screening, medicines safety, research and local pharmaceutical manufacturing.
The ceremony also featured the recognition of Emiola Jamaldeen Ishola as the Overall Best Graduating Student with a CGPA of 4.86.