President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Ayuba Tanko Ibrahim, has raised the alarm over increasing patronage of unregistered traditional healing homes.
He said this is being driven by the high cost of medication, adding that many herbal homes are now getting a boom.
Ibrahim, while speaking with Daily Trust against the backdrop of the recent implementation of waiver on the importation of some active pharmaceutical ingredients by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), however, said the waiver would take time to reflect on the cost of essential medications.
The NCS had announced a two-year exemption from import duty and Value Added Tax for critical raw materials essential for the production of pharmaceuticals.
The exemption, granted under a presidential executive order, covers active pharmaceutical ingredients and other essential raw materials needed for producing medicines, long-lasting insecticidal nets, rapid diagnostic kits, reagents and packaging materials.
