Ebola: Adopt ‘Pharmacy First’ protocol, ACPN urges FG

Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) has urged the Federal Government to urgently adopt a nationwide ‘Pharmacy First’ protocol that will position community pharmacies as frontline centres for early detection of suspected Ebola cases.

The association warned that failure to integrate community pharmacies into the epidemic response architecture would turn major hospitals into ground zero for cross-infection and leave millions without accessible early screening.

In a position statement issued after a press conference and signed by its National Chairman, Ezeh Ambrose, the ACPN called on federal and state health authorities to formally recognise community pharmacies as critical partners in epidemic surveillance and primary healthcare delivery.

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The ACPN said deploying the protocol across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas would bring early symptom identification closer to the people, particularly in communities with limited access to conventional healthcare facilities.

“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 statement read.

According to the association, the initiative would expand community pharmacy practice beyond dispensing medicines to include early symptom recognition, health education, basic screening and prompt referral of individuals with symptoms suggestive of Ebola or other infectious diseases.

It said properly structured community pharmacies could serve as accessible first-contact points, helping to identify suspected cases early and direct them to designated health facilities for assessment and testing, while strengthening referral pathways, supporting contact tracing and providing timely guidance on isolation.

“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,” the association stated.

To meet the expanding responsibilities, the ACPN urged community pharmacists nationwide to improve operational standards, embrace modern practice models and invest in facility upgrades to support quality service delivery.

“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,” it added.

The association, however, identified gaps in policy leadership, digital integration, evidence generation, quality improvement and collaboration among healthcare professionals as major obstacles to epidemic preparedness.

To address the challenges, it proposed a reform framework built on five priorities: establishing a unified vision for epidemic preparedness, improving clinical quality and public trust, integrating digital technology and data-driven surveillance into routine pharmacy practice, strengthening collaboration with primary healthcare centres, and building partnerships with health insurance providers.

It also called for standardised reporting systems that would enable community pharmacies to transmit surveillance data to national health databases, giving public health authorities timely information for monitoring disease patterns and identifying potential outbreaks.

Citing international experiences, the association noted that community pharmacy networks helped sustain access to essential services during public health emergencies, referencing the United Kingdom, where community pharmacies played an important role when conventional medical services faced disruptions.
Pharm. Ezeh said deeper integration of community pharmacies into primary healthcare remains a practical pathway to bringing essential services closer to communities and strengthening capacity to respond to emergencies.

He warned that delays in establishing effective grassroots surveillance could undermine response efforts and expose healthcare workers, patients and the wider population to avoidable risks.

“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,” he said.

The ACPN chairman called on President Bola Tinubu to issue an executive directive for immediate implementation, arguing that the existing pharmacy network provides a foundation for rapid deployment.

“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,” Pharm. Ezeh declared.

The association urged the Tinubu administration and the Federal Ministry of Health to establish a joint task force to develop and formalise the framework, including clear clinical guidelines, referral procedures, surveillance protocols and coordination mechanisms.

It argued that Nigeria’s first line of defence against a potential epidemic should extend beyond hospital walls to neighbourhood pharmacies, and that with appropriate government backing, professional standards and integration into national surveillance, these facilities could become a critical link between communities and the wider epidemic response network.