The Plateau state government has constructed a drugs and commodities warehouse as part of measures to mitigate the spread of fake medical products in the state.
Addressing a press conference on Monday in Jos, the state capital, the commissioner of health, Cletus Shurkuk, said the warehouse, valued at N590,458,290, would be used as a storage facility for drugs and other medical and health-related commodities which would be sold to the public.
Shurkuk said the construction of the warehouse was initiated after the establishment of the state’s Drugs and Medical Commodities Management Agency.
He added that the inspectorate unit of the Ministry of Health has been strengthened for optimal performance.
He said further that private health facilities in the state have also been brought into the database of the ministry while their activities are regularly checked to combat quackery.
The commissioner noted that the ministry’s inspection and supervision of pharmacies and patent medicine shops were carried out in conjunction with the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria (PCN) in a bid to ensure ethical practices were adhered to.
He said the ministry, in collaboration with Christian Blind Mission (CBM), had commissioned the eye unit at the General Hospital, Pankshin.
