The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to integrate registered community pharmacists into the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) scheme, describing the move as a critical reform that would expand access to affordable healthcare, improve the availability of quality medicines, strengthen medicine safety and accelerate Nigeria’s drive towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
The association said the continued exclusion of community pharmacies from the NHIA framework limits the effectiveness of the national health insurance programme, despite community pharmacists serving as the first point of healthcare contact for the majority of Nigerians.
The appeal was made on Thursday during a press briefing to announce the ACPN’s 45th Annual International Scientific Conference, scheduled for July 27 to August 1, 2026, at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja.
The conference, themed “Unity 2026: From Local Pharmacy Practice to Global Impact – Managing Complex Political Systems,” will bring together policymakers, healthcare administrators, legislators, regulators, pharmaceutical industry leaders and international experts to deliberate on reforms and innovations aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s healthcare system.
Speaking at the briefing, ACPN National Chairman, Pharm. Ambrose Igwekamma Ezeh, described community pharmacies as the backbone of primary healthcare delivery, noting that nearly 80 per cent of Nigerians first seek healthcare services from neighbourhood pharmacies before visiting hospitals.
According to him, the Federal Government can significantly improve healthcare access by leveraging the extensive nationwide network of licensed community pharmacies, thereby bringing healthcare closer to millions of Nigerians while easing pressure on overstretched hospitals.
He said integrating community pharmacists into the NHIA would reduce patients’ travel time and out-of-pocket healthcare expenses, improve access to safe and quality medicines, and strengthen the country’s primary healthcare system.
“Most Nigerians live closer to a community pharmacy than to a major hospital. Integrating community pharmacists into the NHIA means healthcare becomes available right where people live, reducing travel time, lowering healthcare costs and improving timely access to quality medicines,” Ezeh said.
The ACPN chairman stressed that while the association supports collaboration with the NHIA, implementation must be based on a transparent and equitable reimbursement framework in line with the NHIA Act. Such a framework, he said, would guarantee fairness among healthcare providers, protect private-sector investments, improve service delivery and ensure the long-term sustainability of the health insurance programme.
He also advocated policy reforms to encourage innovation, strengthen public-private partnerships and create a more enabling environment for community pharmacy practice.
Ezeh noted that pharmacy practice has evolved beyond dispensing medicines to include medication therapy management, disease prevention, pharmaceutical care and broader public health interventions. He reaffirmed ACPN’s commitment to improving professional standards through Mandatory Continuing Professional Development (MCPD), research, innovation and continuous capacity building.
He warned Nigerians against patronising unlicensed medicine vendors, describing them as major contributors to the circulation of counterfeit, substandard and falsified medicines. He urged the public to obtain medicines only from registered pharmacies supervised by licensed pharmacists, adding that integrating community pharmacies into the NHIA would further strengthen medicine quality assurance by directing healthcare financing through regulated pharmaceutical outlets.
The ACPN chairman said the proposed reform comes at a time when Nigeria’s healthcare sector faces the challenges of brain drain, shortages of skilled personnel and fragile medicine supply chains. Rather than investing heavily in new health facilities, he argued, government could rapidly expand quality primary healthcare by maximizing the existing network of licensed community pharmacies across the country.
He described community pharmacists as an underutilised national healthcare asset whose inclusion in the NHIA would deliver immediate improvements in healthcare access without requiring massive capital investment in new infrastructure.
Beyond policy advocacy, the conference will feature discussions on healthcare governance, medicine security, digital transformation, pharmaceutical innovation, leadership development and strategies for positioning Nigerian pharmacy practice among the world’s leading healthcare systems.
Chairman of the Conference Planning Committee, Pharm. Chidi Dozie, said arrangements had been concluded to deliver one of the association’s most successful conferences. He disclosed that committees overseeing logistics, security, protocol, hospitality, exhibitions and scientific sessions had incorporated lessons from previous editions to ensure world-class standards.
He added that participants would benefit from internationally benchmarked exhibitions, robust scientific sessions and high-level networking opportunities designed to strengthen collaboration among local and global healthcare stakeholders.
Among dignitaries expected at the conference are Senate President Godswill Akpabio; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas; and Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago of Niger State, who will chair the conference.
Also expected are the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate; Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike; Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako; and Minister of State for the FCT, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud Bunkure.
The keynote address will be delivered by the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Evans Therapeutics Limited, Pharm. Adewale Oyenuga, while the President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Pharm. Ayuba Tanko Ibrahim, will serve as Chief Host.
As part of its commitment to preventive healthcare, ACPN also announced plans to conduct community health outreach programmes across the Federal Capital Territory during the conference. Residents will benefit from free medical screenings, hepatitis awareness campaigns, vaccination exercises and other preventive healthcare services.
The association expressed confidence that the conference would produce practical policy recommendations capable of strengthening pharmaceutical practice, expanding access to quality healthcare services and positioning community pharmacists as indispensable partners in Nigeria’s quest to achieve universal health coverage.
