PRE-DEGREE/CERTIFICATE REGISTRATION/SCHOOL FEES

PCN Inducts 87 New Pharmacists In UniPort. VC, Registrar, PCN Task Inductees On Professional conduct

A total of 87 fresh graduands who successfully completed the Bachelor of Pharmacy (B.Pharm) degree programme in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, received their operational licences from the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) at the 8th Induction/Oath-taking ceremony. The event which held at the Ebitimi Banigo Auditorium on Friday, May 3, 2019, attracted a mammoth crowd of family, friends and well-wishers, including captains of industry and the academia.

Speaking before administering the Professional Oath on the Inductees, the Registrar of the Council, Mr. Elijah Mohammed, congratulated the new Pharmacists for successfully completing the first phase of their training in the University. “The second phase of your pharmacy training starts with one year statutory internship programme which is compulsory for all Pharmacists in Nigeria, including those trained abroad without evidence of licensure in their countries of practice,” the Council Registrar told the new Inductees. He added that the Council had institutionalised the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) as a life-long programme in the third phase of pharmacy training.

“As Pharmacists, you are expected to get yourselves acquainted with the Code of Professional Ethics which prescribes your professional and moral responsibilities to patients, pharmacist colleagues, other health professionals, your employers and the general public, among others. Strict compliance to the Code of Ethics is indispensable for the practice of pharmacy profession.

“The Council frowns at professional misconduct in its entirety. So, any form of misconduct by any Pharmacist is usually investigated by the PCN Investigating Panel and if the Pharmacist has a case to answer, he or she is referred to the Disciplinary Tribunal which has the status of a Federal High Court in Nigeria,” the Registrar further disclosed. He pointed out the dire consequences of flouting the extant rules governing the practice of pharmacy, commending University Senates across the country for endorsing the Pharm.D programme which has already been approved by the National Universities Commission.

Delivering the keynote address entitled, Pharmacy Practice: What they May not Teach You in the University, President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria and foremost industrialist, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, drilled the new Inductees on the real practice they would encounter away from the school. He enjoined the new Pharmacists to shift attention away from mere drug prescription and administration to focus on patient-centred practice.

“The summation of the above presentation is that the mere possession of B.Pharm degree or even Pharm.D is not adequate guarantee that we shall be successful in the practice or even in the world. There are a lot of variables out there in the world which would determine our success or failure. My objective here has been to draw your attention to a number of them and set you thinking. The truth is: you can be what you wish to be, but you must work hard to be what you want to be and with the grace of God you can make it,” the keynote speaker told the Inductees.

In his address, the Vice Chancellor, Professor Ndowa Lale, commended all stakeholders for their service roles in the training of the new Inductees, attributing the success story of pharmacy training in the University to the commitment of successive leaderships of the Faculty, the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria and other regulatory agencies.

“In its short period of existence, the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences has established an unimpeachable signature of academic excellence and work ethic that have resonated around the country and beyond. It is undeniably on account of the commitment of staff of the Faculty to quality assurance and quality control that the programme has become heavily over-subscribed by discerning students and their parents who recognise and appreciate what we offer clients here,” the Vice Chancellor said. He also thanked the Registrar of the Council, Mr Mohammed, the keynote speaker, Mazi Ohuabunwa and parents for gracing the 8th Induction ceremony.

In his address, Dean of the Faculty, Professor Ogbonna Okorie, disclosed that the proposed Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm D) programme has been submitted to the Senate Committee on Academic Programmes and Policies (SCAPP) for review before presentation to the Senate for consideration and approval.

As was the case at the 32nd Convocation of the University, two new Pharmacists, Igwe Chukwuebuka and Odegbo Gregory, tied as Valedictorians. The PCN Registrar and his team had earlier on arrival, paid a courtesy visit on the Vice Chancellor at the Committee Room.

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