The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria is calling for registered community pharmacies to play a greater role in Nigeria’s national health insurance system, arguing that the facilities are already among the first places many Nigerians turn to when they need healthcare.
The call has renewed attention on the role of neighbourhood pharmacies in primary healthcare, particularly their accessibility to patients who may not immediately visit a hospital or clinic.
Brandspur Brand News reports that community pharmacies already provide services including medicine dispensing, pharmaceutical care, health information and referrals. The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria also describes community pharmacists as a first point of contact for many healthcare consumers.
The debate was highlighted by healthcare executive Samuel Adeoye, who claimed that 80 per cent of Nigerians visit a pharmacy before seeing a doctor. That figure was presented as part of his argument for integrating community pharmacies more closely into the National Health Insurance Authority framework, rather than treated as an official national statistic.
ACPN has long advocated for a stronger role for community pharmacists in primary healthcare. Its documented services include point of care services, health referrals, medication counselling, treatment monitoring and support for conditions including HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and sexually transmitted infections.
Nigeria’s health insurance framework already recognises pharmacies within its legal definition of a healthcare facility. The NHIA Act 2022 defines a healthcare facility to include government or private facilities such as hospitals, maternity centres, pharmacies and physiotherapy centres that are accredited by the Authority to provide prescribed health services.
The outstanding issue, therefore, is not simply whether pharmacies exist within the legal framework, but how their services are incorporated into health insurance arrangements, including accreditation, eligible services, referrals and reimbursement.
Adeoye argued that bringing more community pharmacies into the insurance system could make use of infrastructure that is already present in communities instead of relying solely on hospitals and conventional primary healthcare facilities.
The proposal has also prompted discussion about the safeguards that would be required if pharmacies take on a larger role in insured healthcare. These include appropriate referral pathways, responsible medicine use, diagnostics and measures to prevent inappropriate antimicrobial use.
The NHIA has continued to develop its broader health insurance framework as Nigeria pursues wider coverage. The Authority’s mandate includes expanding access to health insurance and improving the quality and range of services available to beneficiaries.
For patients, greater integration of community pharmacies could potentially make insured healthcare services more accessible in communities where pharmacies are easier to reach than hospitals. But any expansion would require clear rules defining which services pharmacies can provide, how patients are referred to other levels of care and how providers are reimbursed.
The conversation therefore goes beyond adding pharmacies to an insurance network. It touches on how Nigeria can connect the healthcare points people already use with a formal system that can finance, regulate and monitor the care they receive.
