ACPN CAUTIONS NATIONAL ASSEMBLY AGAINST COSTLY HEALTH BUREAUCRACY EXPANSION

The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) has urged the National Assembly to avoid expanding Nigeria’s already strained health bureaucracy as lawmakers consider amendments to the National Health Act (2014). The group expressed strong reservations about multiple new commissions being proposed at recent public hearings held at both chambers of the National Assembly.

During the hearings, various organisations advocated the establishment of bodies such as a Surrogacy Commission, a National Accreditation and Standards Commission, a Tertiary Health Institutions Commission and regional Sickle Cell Research and Therapy Centres. The ACPN argued that these structures would duplicate existing mandates, stretch scarce resources and further complicate health governance. It reminded lawmakers that the National Tertiary Health Institutions Standards Committee already holds the legal responsibility for accreditation, regulation of tertiary hospitals and oversight of activities including organ procurement and related ethics.

Instead of multiplying agencies, the association called for proper funding and strengthened oversight for existing institutions. It observed that many critical bodies including national research institutes such as NIPRD and NIMR, operate with inadequate budgets that limit research capacity and innovation. It also pointed to the absence or inactivity of governing boards across federal health institutions, as well as unresolved vacancies and slow administrative responses within the Federal Ministry of Health.

The ACPN also flagged the ongoing JOHESU strike, which began on November 15th 2025 and has disrupted operations across federal health institutions. It described the industrial action as a symptom of long-term neglect, discrimination and years of unpaid entitlements, warning that the system cannot withstand further administrative overload.

As part of its recommendations, the association suggested the creation of one central national Sickle Cell Research Centre supported by therapy units embedded within the country’s 73 federal health facilities. This approach, it argued, would deliver broader access to counselling and treatment without adding unnecessary layers of governance.

Amid Nigeria’s limited health financing, the association urged lawmakers to prioritise reforms that strengthen existing institutions rather than proliferate new agencies. It called for a pragmatic and fiscally responsible pathway that delivers real value to citizens and avoids adding avoidable pressure to an already overstretched health sector.