Services Patent Medicine Vendors (Chemists) Should Not Render

Patent and proprietary medicine vendors (P.P.M.Vs) popularly known as chemists in Nigeria are the first shops majority of Nigeria's pay a visit to when they are not feeling too well. This is because majority I these shop owners have practice in the area for years and in one little way or the other built a reputation of treating any kind of illness thrown at them. This was possible because according to a research work publish in 2015, more than 200000 patent vendors are scattered across the length and breadth of the country. This is in sharp contrast with the less than 3000 community pharmacy outlet in Nigeria as at 2005. Majority of the community pharmacy are concentrated in the cities leaving the rural areas unattended to and creating an enabling environment for patents vendors to thrive.

Chemist

Patent and proprietary medicine vendors are suppose to be regulated by pharmacists Council of Nigeria (P.C.N). The licence covers some services they can render to their host communities. But because of the situation of things, many of them are operating without licence and even breaching the terms of the licence by selling and rendering services not included in the licence. This is because patent vendors are persons without formal training in pharmacy who sells orthodox pharmaceutical products on a retail basis for profit. But unfortunately, people who patronise them don't even know this or those that do don't know the health implications of their actions.
Read Also: How To Set Up A Patent Medicine (Chemist) Shop In Nigeria
The licence of PPMVs allows them to sell and dispense medicines known as over the counter drugs (O.T.C). OTCs are drugs that can be referred to as first aids. These drugs can be stock at home as first aids. Unfortunately, the cost of stocking all first aids drug in the house not forgetting medicines expire after some years make it wise to buy them from patent drug dealers. And since patents vendors are more in contact with these drugs, they will have a little idea about the usage and maybe function. But unfortunately, this is not the only service patent medicine dealers render especially in communities with little or no health facilities. This pose a serious danger to the community as majority don't even know these vendors are not professionals capable of handling some conditions. They even go by the name doctor.
Note: government over the years keep giving them more services as the years goes by.
These are services PPMVs are not suppose to render. Even besides their formal training not meeting up to the pharmacist degree, research have shown that their knowledge is largely limited in handling some acute cases and worst in chronic conditions. Their treatment guidelines in most cases does not follow current recent trends. Some services not included in the licence include:

Diagnosis: with no formal training, they try to diagnose medical conditions by listening to complains, sign and symptoms from their customers. Whatever, they come up with, they end up prescribing. This is not part of their licence. According to the research done in 2015, only about 14% - 20% of PPMVs have a form of medical training. This training can be as a nurse or pharmacy technician. This training is not enough qualification to involve diagnosis. So, the possibility of a wrong diagnosis is very high. Others have also work in a health facility or did apprenticeship in another patent vendor shop or in some cases in a community pharmacy.

Treatment: they diagnose and then prescribe a treatment option. If the diagnosis is wrong, there is every possibility that the treatment will be wrong. Even if the diagnosis is right, the treatment option may not be appropriate.
Even registered nurses with nursing degrees who operate PPMVs, they are not to turn their shop into a clinic giving injections or treating conditions that require invasion as it goes against the licence given by PCN.
Antenatal: this is becoming a very common service rendered by patents dealers in many rural communities.
Read Also: Guidelines On Opening Community pharmacy Business
The benefits of the presence of PPMVs in rural settings cannot be over emphasise. But if they are not careful, they may end up destroying this benefits by causing more damages when they break into services they are not trained and licenced to render.
Worst still, these PPMVs will stop practicing above their licence when the public is made aware the services these patents can and cannot render and avoid sorting for these services from them. This post is not here to list the many told and untold stories of damages these patents have done. Also, this post is not going to highlight their benefits
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