The Governor of Kaduna State, Sen. Uba Sani, has eulogised the late iconic pharmacist, Dahiru Wali, for his immense contributions in the field of pharmacy, while assuring people of the state on quality health care delivery.
Sani, at the ninth public lecture series in honour of late Wali on Monday at the Kaduna State University (KASU), described the renowned pharmacist as a true pioneer and icon in the field of pharmacy profession.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that late pharmacist pioneered a patient-oriented community pharmacy, the Tsamiya Pharmaceutical Company Ltd, Kaduna from 1975 to 2003 at various locations in the state.
Sani, represented by a pharmacist, Doshu Nock, Deputy Director, Pharmaceutical Services, Kaduna State Ministry of Health, said late Wali’s impact had continued to resonate within and beyond borders.
He recalled that late Wali’s Tsamiya Pharmacy was a place where people could confidently access genuine pharmaceutical products, accompanied by the guidance of a professional pharmacists who offered valuable counseling on their application and usage.
“His unwavering commitment to providing quality pharmacutical care paved the way for a close and meaningful relationship between professionals, pharmaceutical products, and patients,” he said.
Sani further said that late Wali laid the foundation for pharmaceutical care which was a holistic approach that placed the well-being of patients at its core.
“This approach continues to shape the landscape of pharmacy practice. We cannot overlook his invaluable contributions to pharmacy education in our state.
“His generosity knew no bounds, he donated books and provided financial support to both the faculties of Pharmaceutical Sciences at KASU and Ahmadu Bello University,” he added.
The governor, therefore, noted that as a government, they recognised the critical importance of pharmaceutical services to the well-being of the residents.
He said government prioritised the availability of drugs and other essential commodities in every healthcare facility across the state.
He added that initiatives such as the Last Mile Delivery (LMD) approach by the Kaduna State Health Supply Management Agency (KADHSMA) and the adoption of drone technology through Zipline Fly International Nigeria Ltd. revolutionised delivery of healthcare supplies, especially to remote, hard-to-reach and security risk areas.
“Over three N3 billion has been committed in the building, and rehabilitation of the health facilities, and
provision of medical equipment, related furniture, tools and health consumables.
“The State Government has just approved the career progression of health workers which included the attainment of Grade Level 17 and specialist cadre of pharmacists.
“All these are anticipated to improve service delivery to people of the state,” Sani said.
Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of KASU, Prof Abdullahi Musa, tasked the institution’s Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences to develop a proposal for the establishment of centre of excellence for herbal medicine.
“We want our Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences to stand out from the crowd, and I feel having the centre is one way in achieving that,” he said.
Musa, therefore, pledged to make efforts in financing the initiative.
Also, the Chairman of the late Pharmacist Wali Book Project Committee, Prof. Ahmed Mora, said late Wali was one time Chairman of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Kaduna State Branch, in the early 80s.
Mora said that five of them, who formed the Book Project Committee, authored the book: “D.S. Wali, an icon of community pharmacy practice in Nigeria”, as biography-cum text book on late Wali.
He said the book was presented to the public and launched in April 2013, in Mambayya House, BUK, Kano, under the chairmanship of late Dr Yusuf Maitama Sule.
He noted that the book was the first biography of any pharmacist in the North and the second in the country after that of late Dr Fred Adenika, which was presented to the public in February, 2009.
Mora said the Committee had consistently organised lectures on 23rd of July, marking the birthday of late Wali, in commemoration of his immense contributions to the field of pharmacy.
“For this year, we organised the lectures today because 23rd fell on a weekend,” he said.
NAN reports that Prof M.N Femi-Oyewo, the Provost of the College of Pharmacy, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, presented the 9th late Wali’s lecture.
The topic of the lecture was “Evolution of pharmacy practice across the globe: the product to the patient