13th Scientific Days of the National Order of Pharmacists of Togo: More commitment

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Extract from the article: The National Order of Pharmacists of Togo organised its 13th Scientific Days from 10 to 12 November 2022 in Lomé on the theme: « Securing the pharmaceutical sector in Togo: challenges and prospects ». Indeed, these days take place in a context of cri

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The National Order of Pharmacists of Togo organised its 13th Scientific Days from 10 to 12 November 2022 in Lomé on the theme: « Securing the pharmaceutical sector in Togo: challenges and prospects ». Indeed, these days take place in a context of crises that weaken the drug supply sector in developing countries and dependent on drug producing and exporting countries. These include the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and cross-border epidemics such as polio, measles and Lassa fever, not to mention the introduction by some producing countries of quotas or even bans on the export of certain medicines, which has led to a drop in the production and export of a number of pharmaceutical products, the development of various supply channels and an exacerbation of the activity of uncontrolled drug channels.

All this constitutes a real threat to the supply and availability of medicines. It is in this analytical context that the Minister Delegate to the Minister of Health, Public Hygiene and Universal Access to Health Care, Dr Mamessilé Aklah Agba-Assih, launched the 13th meeting of the National Order of Pharmacists of Togo. This was in the presence of the Presidents of the orders of Benin, Côte D'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Mali and Togo. 

During two (2) days, presentations, panels, debates, were made and animated, accompanied by recommendations on the following themes: « Fight against the illicit market: Protection of supply channels », « Resilience of the pharmacist in the face of the health crisis from 2019 to 2022: Development and diversification of the profession », « The drug: Being well informed to use it better ».

In his statement, the new NPPO President, Dr. Yawo Tufa Nyasenu called on his fellow participants to be absolutely committed: « For us, pharmacists, actors in this sector, we must commit ourselves to securing our countries in equitable access to health products and against the harmful effects of substandard and falsified medicines. We must rethink and redesign the pharmaceutical industry in Africa. Pharmacists will have to play a full role at every level of the legal supply chain », he said.

The importance of the pharmaceutical sector

The essential role of the pharmaceutical sector is reflected in one of the objectives of axis 1 of the P3 project « setting up the CSU », which is to establish a supply chain management plan for essential medicines and products to ensure their availability at the last mile, with the target of strengthening 500 health facilities by 2025.

However, currently in Togo there are 369 pharmacists registered with the Order, 226 pharmacies, and more than 80 pharmacists who have graduated from the FSS-UL over the last 4 years. These statistics call for a reflection on the policy of Universal Access to quality health care that the Government is carrying out through the implementation of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC). A major challenge clearly emerges: « In a context where the demand for health services is continuously increasing with limited financial power of the populations, it is judicious to implement collaborative methods to provide affordable and quality health services to the populations. While the universal health insurance mechanism is helping to solve this problem, it remains that prescribed medicines should be available to beneficiaries », said Dr Mamessilé Aklah Agba-Assih.

These scientific days were also an opportunity for pharmacists in Togo to carry out activities in a fraternal atmosphere and especially to take social actions. It is within this framework that the Medical-Social Centre of Davié (Zio Prefecture) benefited from equipment to strengthen its laboratory unit with the aim of providing better care for the population. 

Gamé KOKO