Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) has inducted 79 graduates of the 2019/2020 academic session of University of Jos (UNIJOS) into the council.
The PCN Registrar, Dr Nurudeen Mohammed, who administered the oath on the inductees on Tuesday in Jos, urged them to acquaint themselves with the code of conduct of the profession.
Represented by Mr Peter Iliya, the Abuja Zonal Director of PCN, Mohammed added that “the council frowns at any misconduct from professionals.
“As pharmacists, you are expected to get yourselves acquainted with the code of professional ethics, which prescribes your professional and moral responsibility to patients, colleagues, other health professionals, your employers and the general public.
“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 will not be tolerated.
“Always bear in mind that things take time and do all in your power to uphold the ethics of the profession.”
He called on the inductees to support government’s efforts toward ending the spread of COVID-19 and other diseases and pandemic in the country.
Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of UNIJOS, Prof. Tanko Ishaya, had congratulated the inductees for the feat achieved.
Ishaya, who was represented by Prof. Gray Ejikeme, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Adminstration of the university, said that the induction was part of the institution’s contribution to healthcare delivery in the country.
He pledged that the university would continue to provide an enabling environment for quality teaching and learning, hence contributing to manpower development in the country.
Ishaya expressed optimism that the inductees had received quality training that would enable them to tackle the myriad of challenges facing pharmacy practice in Nigeria.
He said, “I wish to congratulate these 79 graduands for successfully completing the rigorous training programme.
“I believe the training has properly equipped you with the requisite knowledge and skills needed to effectively tackle the challenges of pharmacy practice.
“The university will continue to provide conducive atmosphere for academic activities to thrive and also ensure adequate provision of necessary facilities, including human and material resources for training of students.”
The vice-chancellor also admonished the inductees to use their professional calling to join the ongoing fight against drug abuse, particularly among young people in the country.
He also urged them to live above board and be good ambassadors of the institution by maintaining high standard of professionalism, ethics and dedication to duty.
Established by Decree 91 of 1992 (now Act 91 of 1992) — due to transfer of power from military to civilian in 1999, PCN is a Federal Government agency aimed at regulating and controlling the practice of pharmacy and pharmaceutical education in the country. (NAN)