PHOTO: Dr. Menmon P.Z. Dunah, Chief Excutive Director
Massa Kanneh, masskanneh4@gmail.com
After the recent death of a women, Pinky Keman, who underwent an illegal abortion carried out by an unlicensed Clinician, the Chief Executive Director of the Liberia Pharmacy Board has called for help to enhance the efforts of its Inspection Team.
Dr. Menmon P.Z. Dunah said that the Pharmacy Board’s inspection team is faced with major challenges, which sometimes impede their functions.
The woman died at Benson Hospital in September, while seeking treatment after she encountered complications earlier from the Criminal Abortion carried out by suspect Hopkin Nell, in the Gobacho Community near Monrovia.
The head of the Pharmacy Board has since has asked that the law takes its course.
Suspect Nell was arrested, Charged for Murder (Criminal Abortion) and incarcerated at the Monrovia Central prison, along with a friend to the deceased, identified as Grace William, who recommended and took the deceased to suspect Nell’s facility. She was charged with Criminal Facilitation.
In an exclusive interview with this Reporter, Dr. Dunah spoke of the need for human resources and logistical support to help improve the operations of the Pharmacy Board.
“Here at the Liberia Pharmacy Board, we have low number of people for the division of Inspection, there is only one vehicle the team has, which makes work difficult sometimes, we have only one Vehicle here that has spent Nine Years(9Yrs) with us,” said Dr. Dunah.
With the limited Inspectors and vehicles, the head of the Pharmacy Board said the work load has become so huge, such that Inspectors in Monrovia are being rotated to other counties using the same vehicle, which is making the work more difficult for the Inspection team.
At the same time, Dr. Dunah has cautioned members of the public to seek medical treat only at known and registered health facilities and Clinicians, unlicensed or fake entities that would endanger their lives.
According to him, the Pharmacy Board is responsible to regulate and provide membership identification to anyone who wishes to operate Pharmaceutical services in Liberia.
He said before anyone operates any Pharmaceutical places, he or she must seek the indulgence of the Pharmacy Board approval, taking into account, the Environment in which the Pharmacy will operate and the dispenser’s credibility.
Entities licensed to dispense services
He furthered that there are two major and distinct places Medicine or Pharmaceutical services are provided–Medicine Stores and Pharmacies.
Medicine Stores, the Pharmacy Board executive said, are only licensed to dispense ‘On the Counter drugs’ such as pain relievers and other common drugs as indicated in their 1967 Act that established the Board.
Dr. Dunah also stated that Pharmacies are more advanced and bigger than Medicine Stores, and they are allowed to sell both on the Counter and hardcore drugs but based on prescriptions from Doctors.
Despite the sales of hardcore drugs, the Pharmacy is not allowed to dispense drugs without a signed Prescription from a Doctor and that neither Pharmacies nor Medicine Stores are allowed to render any medical or Clinical treatment to any patients, he said.
“The 1967 Act prohibits any Pharmacy or Medicines Stores to provide Clinical services, anyone caught doing such, their license will be revoked and the place closed for 5 Years” he said
Drugs peddlers
For the proliferation of drugs peddling on the Streets of Monrovia and other parts of Liberia, Dr. said they are only carrying out Arrest and seizure of the products but those individuals resurfaced in other Communities and begin the same thing.
According to him, most of the drugs sold by peddlers in the Streets are mostly drugs that are smuggled into the Country, adding that the situation is causing serious health complications as those drugs might loss values and essence being exposed in the Sun and other unfavorable environments.
“We have been arresting and confiscating drugs from Peddlers, that all we can do but hey end up surfacing in unknown Communities. But most of those drugs peddlers sell, are mostly smuggled drugs but it is difficult to effectively function or inspect when we have limited Manpower and only one Vehicle,“ said Dr. Dunah.
Despite the challenges he said the Pharmacy Board has continued to work.
The head of the Board is also calling on Liberians to report to the Pharmacy Board any unregistered facilities, providing Clinical services in their various communities.