The president, Lagos State Medicine Dealers Association (LSMDA), Alphonsus Okoroji, has called on the state government to subsidize the cost of malaria drugs to make it affordable to everyone.
Speaking at the commemoration of the 2021 World Malaria Day in Lagos, Okoroji said the association distributed free malaria drugs, mosquito nets, and carried out sanitisation exercise in major cities of the state.
He urged government to join forces with organisations to fight malaria, while calling for the enforcement of laws against peddlers of fake drugs as well as take pragmatic steps to ensure zero malaria presence in the state, stressing the need for everyone to take the war against malaria seriously.
“We appeal to the Lagos State governor not to relent in doing anything within his power to strengthen and support the growth of LSMDA as well as promote healthy living in the state, especially in the accessibility and affordability of original drugs in the state. We are proud to say that the association contributes to the economic growth of Lagos State positively and cannot be left out in the state government’s support,” he said.
Okoroji also warned that people must undergo medical test to ascertain the cause of any illness before dispensing any therapy.
He stated that the association was committed to fish out fake drug producers giving the body a bad name by their unwholesome practices, “We are not sleeping in our fight against imposters and fake drugs producers; we are working relentlessly against quackery and we must fight this cause to the end. We are collaborating with the government and law enforcement agencies to eliminate fake drugs hawkers in the state, and we implore people to only buy medicines from registered dealers to avoid taking expired drugs. We have a task force working with government and law enforcement agencies to eradicate fake drugs in the streets of Lagos because any medicine that stays under the sun is automatically damaged and not good for health,” he said.