The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is grappling with significant operational challenges due to a critical shortage of personnel, according to its Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye.
In an exclusive interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Prof. Adeyeye lamented that the agency's ability to regulate substandard and falsified medicines across the nation is severely hampered by this staffing deficit.
Prof. Adeyeye highlighted the stark contrast between Nigeria and Indonesia in terms of regulatory staffing.
"While Indonesia, with a population of 280 million, employs 20,000 staff at its regulatory agency, Nigeria, with 220 million people, has only 2,000 NAFDAC staff," she noted.
This disparity shows the pressing need for increased government support to bolster NAFDAC's workforce.
The Director-General also pointed out that the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria (PCN) faces similar staffing issues, which impede its capacity to register drug-selling sites and practitioners effectively.
"Both NAFDAC and PCN face staff shortages, which hinder our ability to reach every corner of the country," she explained.
Addressing recent labour union demands for staff promotions, Prof. Adeyeye clarified that such decisions are beyond NAFDAC's purview.
"The Head of Service has the mandate for the number of staff to be promoted. It is not something NAFDAC could unilaterally decide," she stated, adding that the issue had been temporarily resolved following discussions with the unions and intervention from the presidency.
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