Ekiti State Government has sealed off 8 patent medicine and pharmaceuticals stores for operating illegally in the state.
The Monitoring and Inspection Unit of the Pharmaceutical Services Department of the State Ministry of Health which embarked on an inspection tour of Emure, Ise, Ikere and Ado Ekiti communities sealed the shops for offences ranging from operating unregistered medicine stores to failure to renew registration of their stores.
Speaking in Ado-Ekiti on the development, the Commissioner for Health, Professor Olusola Fasubaa noted that the proprietors of the sealed shops failed to comply with the operational guidelines regulating the sale of medicine, adding that some of them were also found to be in possession of unethical drugs.
Professor Fasubaa added that some of the shop owners do not have licence at all while the others have been operating for years without renewing their licences.
He warned that owners of the sealed shops that reopen without proper authorisation would be made to face the wrath of the law.
Reiterating the commitment of the state government to ensuring a healthy society, Professor Fasubaa said that the present
administration would leave no stone unturned towards streamlining drug distribution in the state.
The Commissioner stressed that if the activities of illegal operators are not checked, it could lead to an increase in the circulation and distribution of fake and sub-standard drugs in the state.
He advised people in the state against patronage of quack health services providers, saying that government hospitals and health centres are adequately stocked to cater for the health needs of the people.
The Commissioner hinted that the inspection and monitoring exercise will be carried out in all parts of the state.
Last modified: June 8, 2013
