By Michael E. Umoh
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the limitations and in some cases, inadequacies of healthcare systems, globally â with some regions and countries faring worse than others. It has also revealed how crucial certain professions and services are to our societies. That list includes pharmacies.
In many countries, pharmacists – the third-largest and most accessible healthcare professionals in the world – are often the first point of contact with the healthcare system.
In Nigeria, for example, the healthcare system is split into the private and public sector. The private sector makes up 38 per cent of the healthcare facilities in the nation, while the public sector, fully controlled by the government, is divided into primary, secondary and tertiary systems. Primary healthcare, mainly located in rural areas, only offers essential healthcare services such as maternal and child healthcare.