Nigeria

The Pharmacists Council of Nigeria (PCN) has regulatory oversight of the nearly 60,000 PPMVs across the country. PCN wants to reposition PPMVs within the Nigerian health system and develop a better engagement model with the shops by working with stakeholders, including PPMV associations, to establish standards of practice that will harmonize both training and operations. With support from LaunchDSI, PCN hosted a number of stakeholder and expert committee meetings to ensure early and frequent engagement, including a November 2017 meeting of more than 60 stakeholders to get consensus on the initiative’s next steps, which was covered by local media.  PCN developed a set of accreditation standards, a draft training curricula for dispensers at three tiers of service, and accreditation logos that were presented at a stakeholder meeting in November 2018. The services will align with the country’s task-shifting policy when it is approved.