An analysis of pharmacy workforce capacity in Nigeria

Abstract

BackgroundPharmacists are critical for attaining the goal of universal health coverage and equitable access to essential health services, particularly in relation to access to medicines and medicines expertise. We describe an analysis of the pharmacy workforce in Nigeria from 2011 to 2016 in order to gain insight on capacity and to inform pharmacy workforce planning and policy development in the country.MethodThe study was conducted using census data obtained from the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) via a validated data collection tool. The statistical methods used for analysis were descriptive (frequencies, percentages, mean) and linear regression. Secondary data on population distribution per state was obtained from the Federal Bureau of Statistics and the National Population Commission (NPC) of Nigeria.ResultThe data showed 21,892 registered pharmacists with only 59% (n = 12,807) in active professional practice. There are also more male (62%) compared to female pharmacists while 42% of the licensed workforce with known area of practice are in community practice followed by hospital pharmacy (11%). A rise in number of pharmacists (0.53–0.66) and new pharmacy graduates per year (0.062–0.083) per 10,000 population was observed over the five years analysed; however the overall density remains significantly low. Pharmacists’ density also varied considerably between states (Median = 0.39; Min - Max: 0.05–4.3). Regionally, more than a third (~ 40%) of the licensed workforce and community pharmacies are situated in the South West region with fewer than 10% of the total in the North East and North West regions combined. A steady decline in number of pharmacists requesting a “letter of good standing” from PCN, a proxy measure of intent to migrate was also observed.ConclusionThe data indicate ongoing deficits in availability and supply of pharmacists in the country with widespread variance in distribution observed across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The findings suggest that observed deficits are not solely related to out-migration and highlights the need for policies that will promote increased within-country availability, equitable distribution and retention, especially in the underserved regions of North East and North West of Nigeria.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s40545-018-0147-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Health workforce planning in Namibia: assessing a pilot workforce survey of pharmacists

“…Although it would require significantly more resources, a researcher could physically visit all pharmacy premises and interview or distribute questionnaires for collection. Finally, and arguably a more rational approach would be to engage further with the regulatory Council to request that the national workforce survey be incorporated as a compulsory requirement of continued registration; this is likely to maximise the response of registered pharmacists although would not necessarily increase response from non‐registered pharmacists . It is important to maximise the response rate to include at least half of the population of pharmacists so that decisions made on the basis of data reported are representative.…”

Characterization and Distribution of Medicine Vendors in Nigeria: A study of Lagos and Kaduna States.

“…The ndings from this study, like the Liu et al study among others, revealed that PPMV shops were numerous in the two states. With fewer health facilities and health posts opening across the country [29] and fewer pharmacies opening up (especially in rural and hard to reach areas) [14], PPMVs have remained the most widespread health structure across the two (2) states; and across Northern and Southern Nigeria [18]. However, the study found a greater concentration of shops in the Northern state of Kaduna and especially in the urban areas; this is a slight deviation from the norm in many studies that PPMVs are mainly located in the rural and hard to reach areas [16,22,30].…”

“…This scenario has been linked to inadequate production and inequitable distribution across the country [3,[10][11]. With massive historical brain drain which already has been documented to have caused setbacks in the country's health system [12] and declining recent brain drain still being experienced in Africa (including Nigeria); especially of doctors (25%) [10] and nurses (5%) [13], the number of Community Pharmacists are also grossly inadequate [14] and hence the need for other cadres of staff to ll in the gap and improve healthcare (especially basic public health services).…”

Perceptions of Nigerian final year undergraduate students of the adequacy of the pharmacy curriculum for mental health care

“…The present pharmacy curriculum, developed approximately two decades ago, appears to emphasise selected non‐communicable diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes, whereas information regarding mental health disorder‐related medicines is provided over a few hours using didactic lectures. In view of the fact that many Nigerian pharmacy graduates end up in community and hospital practices where they will necessarily have to care for clients with mental health disorders, it is imperative that they are fully prepared for the role …”

“…In view of the fact that many Nigerian pharmacy graduates end up in community and hospital practices where they will necessarily have to care for clients with mental health disorders, it is imperative that they are fully prepared for the role. 16 Nigeria is one of the largest exporters of a pharmacy workforce to many developed countries, including the UK and Canada; 17,18 therefore, it is imperative that Nigeria's pharmacy curriculum meets global practice standards. In Nigeria, one pharmacy school, the University of Benin, has been offering a 6-year Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree for more than a decade, whereas other schools are in the process of shifting to the PharmD degree in line with the recommendation of the PCN.…”