Pharmacists have advocated equal treatment of both health and medical professionals as a panacea for lasting peace in the health sector.

They said collaboration among health and medical professionals is key to permanent peace and stability in the sector, describing the practice environment as highly charged, with mutual suspicion, unhealthy rivalry, rancor, numerous court cases and incessant strike actions.

The pharmacists who were on a visit to the Delta State Commissioner for Health, Dr Joseph Otumara, appealed to the commissioner to use his membership of the National Council on Health to prevail on government and other stakeholders to put in place policies that would ensure equality of all professionals in the health sector.

Led by the State Branch Chairman of the Nigerian Association of Hospital and Administrative Pharmacists (NAHAP), Pharmacist Dr Kingsley Amibor, said,”Because of this constant disruption in healthcare delivery, there is so much uncertainty nowadays that the question on every lip is ‘when is the next strike action.”

He also called for the employment of more pharmacists and interns, renovation and upgrade of existing pharmacies in government hospitals, training and retraining of pharmacists and inclusion of pharmacists in DELSUTH Board.

Responding, Dr Joseph Otumara, promised pharmacists in the State adequate representations in the health sector saying they have proven to be reliable partners in the progress recorded in the health sector in Delta State.

Describing pharmacists in the State as well behaved, especially in the face of frequent strikes, Dr Otumara commended their sense of maturity and purpose in not resorting to strikes at the slightest industrial dispute.

While expressing the belief that all the requests by the association were genuine, Dr Otumara gave an assurance that his office would start by ensuring that a pharmacist was included in this year’s medical team to the holy land.

*Contributed by Churchill Oyowe (PRO), Ministry of Health, Asaba.