The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) has issued a strong warning to the National Assembly, urging lawmakers to avoid introducing unnecessary bureaucratic layers into the country's health sector.
ACPN's Firm Stance Against Proliferation of Commissions
This firm position was communicated in a statement released by the association's leadership. The document was jointly signed by the ACPN National Chairman, Pharm. Ambrose Igwekamma Ezeh, and the National Secretary, Pharm. Omokhafe Ashore.
The statement was a direct response to recent legislative activities. It followed public hearings conducted by the House of Representatives on November 18, 2025, and the Senate on November 24, 2025. These hearings focused on proposed amendments to the National Health Act (NH-Act) of 2014.
During these sessions, various interest groups advocated for the establishment of several new regulatory bodies. The proposals included:
- A Surrogacy Commission
- A National Accreditation and Standards Commission
- A Tertiary Health Institutions Commission
- Sickle Cell Research and Therapy Centres across all six geopolitical zones and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)
Existing Law Already Provides Mandate, Says ACPN
The ACPN has categorically dismissed these calls for new commissions. The association labeled the proposals as legally unnecessary, economically unrealistic, and administratively wasteful.
The pharmacists' body argues that the existing National Health Act of 2014 already created a competent structure. This is the National Tertiary Health Institutions Standards Committee (NTHISC).
According to the ACPN, the NTHISC already holds the full legal authority to handle the very issues the new commissions would address. Its lawful mandate covers:
- Regulation of tertiary hospitals
- Management of accreditation processes
- Control of organ procurement and trafficking
- Enforcement of related standards
"The attempt to create three commissions from the legal structures established in NH-Act 2014 is unnecessary," the ACPN stated emphatically. "All endeavours about the regulation of organ trafficking and procurement, surrogacy, and the monitoring and regulatory appraisals of standards or accreditation of Tertiary Hospital Facilities are already lawfully vested in the NTHISC."
Call for Oversight and Funding, Not New Bodies
The association shifted the focus from creation to empowerment. It asserted that the problem is not a lack of regulatory bodies, but a failure to properly support and fund the ones that already exist.
"What has been lacking is not new commissions, but proper oversight and adequate budgetary support for existing regulatory structures," the statement clarified.
The ACPN directly called on the National Assembly to fulfill its oversight role more effectively. The lawmakers should, according to the association, insist on providing a robust and sufficient budget for the NTHISC. This funding would enable the committee to execute its statutory duties efficiently without the need for parallel structures.
"What is missing has been adequate oversight responsibilities by the National Assembly, which ought to insist on providing a robust budget that positions the NTHISC to carry out its statutory responsibilities," the ACPN concluded.
