NAFDAC creates toll-free lines for feedback on drugs

By Feyi Afisunlu

NAFDAC DIRECTOR-GENERAL, DR PAUL ORHII (R), ADDRESSING WORKERS DURING AN INSPECTIONTOUR OF THE AGENCY’S ENUGU ZONAL OFFICE

In order to get consumer’s feedbacks on the adverse drug reactions in Nigeria, the National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control, NAFDAC, said that it had established a toll-free platform for public feedback.
The Coordinator, National Pharmacovigilance Centre of NAFDAC, Mrs. Adeline Osakwe disclosed this in Abuja on Thursday.
She urged all subscribers of MTN, Glo and Etisalat to text messages to 20543 with their feedbacks.
Osakwe appeal to the public to regard such feedback as important, stressing that the information would facilitate the agency’s work in safeguarding the
health of the nation.
In her words; “If we get 1,000 reports and only one is genuine, we won’t mind.

“We want people to report as much as possible so that we will begin to document what is happening to Nigerians when they use certain medicines.
“For instance, if you take a drug for stomach ache and you react to it, you could just text `I took this medicine and my stomach is on fire.
“When the information gets to us, we will call and interview you to get additional information that will enable us to determine whether it is actually an adverse drug reaction.
“If it is serious, we can refer the person to a hospital because we do not do clinical management of problem, we do documentation.
“This information will help us to assist the person and the general public because with the information we get, we get to know the people that should not take certain medicines.”
DailyPost