By: Manoah Kikekon
The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) has called on the Federal Government to urgently adopt a nationwide ‘Pharmacy First’ protocol. The initiative seeks to position community pharmacies as frontline centres for the early identification of suspected Ebola cases and other infectious disease outbreaks across the country.
According to the association, Nigeria can significantly strengthen its epidemic preparedness by integrating community pharmacists into the national disease surveillance network. Leveraging their widespread presence will enhance early detection, ensure timely patient referrals, and relieve intense pressure on secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities.
In a position statement issued following a press conference and signed by its National Chairman, Pharm. Ezeh Ambrose, the ACPN urged federal and state health authorities to formally recognise community pharmacies as indispensable partners in primary healthcare delivery and epidemic surveillance.
The association maintained that deploying the proposed protocol across all 774 local government areas in Nigeria would bring symptom identification directly to the grassroots, especially in underserved communities with limited access to conventional hospitals.
“We consider it necessary to sensitise and mobilise the Federal Government to approve specific investment plans to leverage the Pharmacy First Initiative as a front-line Ebola detection protocol, which stands as one of the best mechanisms to catalyse Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Nigeria.”
The ACPN highlighted that the 'Pharmacy First' model extends the scope of community pharmacy practice far beyond dispensing medications. Under the framework, practitioners will participate in early symptom recognition, public health education, basic health screening, and prompt referral of individuals displaying symptoms consistent with Ebola or other viral infections.
By serving as accessible first-contact points, structured community pharmacies can identify potential cases early and guide patients to designated medical facilities for comprehensive assessment and testing.
This strategy aims to bolster referral pathways, improve contact-tracing efforts, and enforce isolation guidelines, thereby mitigating the risk of cross-infection in overcrowded hospital waiting rooms.
“At the centre of strategising for epidemic response and Universal Health Coverage, governments at all levels must structure community pharmacies to provide first-line Ebola screening and Primary Health Care services through better access to essential drugs and management of uncomplicated diseases, which ultimately reduces the burden of services on secondary and tertiary health facilities.”
To prepare for these expanded responsibilities, the ACPN called on community pharmacists nationwide to elevate operational standards, adopt modern practice frameworks, and invest in facility upgrades in line with Good Pharmacy Practice (GPP) guidelines.
“In view of changing times, Community Pharmacists must respond accordingly to explore investment opportunities with free funds to achieve the goals of Good Pharmacy Practice (GPP) in the realistic interest of patients.”
Addressing existing operational barriers such as policy gaps, lack of digital integration, and weak inter-professional collaboration the ACPN proposed a reform framework structured around five key priority areas
1. Establishing a unified national vision for epidemic preparedness.
2. Enhancing clinical quality and strengthening public trust.
3. Integrating digital technology and data-driven surveillance into daily pharmacy operations.
4. Fostering seamless collaboration with primary healthcare centres.
5. Building strategic partnerships with health insurance providers.
The framework includes standardized reporting tools enabling neighbourhood pharmacies to transmit real-time surveillance data directly to national epidemiological databases.
Citing global precedents, the ACPN referenced health systems like the United Kingdom's, where community pharmacy networks successfully sustained access to primary care and supported frontline clinical workflows during major health crises.
Pharm. Ezeh warned that failing to implement a proactive grassroots mechanism could undermine national containment efforts and expose healthcare workers and the general public to unnecessary dangers.
“We cannot afford to repeat past missteps where delayed grassroots surveillance allowed outbreaks to spiral out of control. If the Federal Government fails to integrate community pharmacies into this primary protocol, our major hospitals will inevitably become ground zero for cross-infection, overwhelmed before an outbreak is even fully mapped. Leaving community pharmacies out of the first line of defence is not just a missed opportunity; it is an unacceptable hazard to national health security.”
The ACPN chairman subsequently called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to issue an enabling executive directive for immediate nationwide implementation.
“Every day of delay places an unnecessary burden on our tertiary hospitals and leaves millions of Nigerians without accessible early detection. Community pharmacies are already fully staffed, equipped, and embedded across all 774 Local Government Areas. We require zero infrastructure expenditure from the government to deploy this immediately. We urge President Bola Tinubu to issue the enabling policy directive today, and our national network will activate the ‘Pharmacy First’ screening protocol within 48 hours.”
The ACPN concluded by calling on the Federal Ministry of Health and the Presidency to set up a joint task force to establish clear clinical guidelines, referral mechanisms, and coordination protocols. By integrating neighbourhood pharmacies into the broader epidemic response grid, Nigeria can establish a robust defense system right at the doorstep of its citizens.