The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently restructure the recently inaugurated National Task Force on Clinical Governance and Patient Safety. The pharmacists warned that the panel’s current physician-heavy composition could compromise patient safety and undermine public confidence in Nigeria’s health system.

In a letter to the President, signed by PSN President Pharm. Ayuba Tanko Ibrahim, the society praised the government for establishing the task force, describing it as “visionary and urgently necessary.” However, the PSN expressed concern that the panel lacks sufficient multidisciplinary representation, which is essential for effective clinical governance.

“Clinical governance and patient safety are not the responsibility of one profession,” Ibrahim stated. “A physician-centric model that combines prescribing and dispensing poses significant risks to patients and runs counter to international best practices.”

Currently, the task force comprises 18 physicians, one pharmacist, two nurses, and one administrator. The PSN argued that this imbalance diminishes credibility and limits nationwide adoption of its recommendations.

Global standards, including guidance from the World Health Organization, emphasize the importance of multidisciplinary teams in healthcare governance. This includes pharmacists, nurses, laboratory scientists, health information managers, administrators, and patient representatives.

“Properly utilized pharmacists detect medication errors before they reach patients,” Ibrahim said. “Excluding key professionals forces the system to rely on luck rather than systematic safeguards.”

The PSN highlighted pharmacists’ critical role in medication safety, pharmacovigilance, antimicrobial stewardship, and nutrition—particularly in high-risk and critical-care settings where rigorous checks are vital.

The society also pointed to the realities of healthcare access in Nigeria, noting that community pharmacies serve as the first point of care for millions. National Household Survey data shows that 44% of men and 49% of women sought healthcare through pharmacies in the past year, compared with only 26% of men and 22% of women who visited hospitals.

“These figures demonstrate that pharmacists already provide frontline patient-safety interventions, especially for vulnerable populations,” Ibrahim said. “Policy decisions that overlook this reality are likely to fail during implementation.”

To address these concerns, the PSN recommended expanding pharmacy representation on the task force to include leaders from the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, NAFDAC, and hospital, community, and consultant pharmacists. It also proposed a technocratic leadership model, suggesting that the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare serve as Chairman, with the NAFDAC Director-General as Co-Chairman—a structure that could be replicated at the state level.

“Patient safety should be guided by expertise, not politics. Technocrats with regulatory and clinical experience are best suited to lead,” the PSN emphasized.

The society stressed that its recommendations align with the government’s Renewed Hope Agenda and argued that a more inclusive task force would enhance technical quality, national ownership, and measurable patient-safety outcomes.

“Healthcare must move beyond ego-driven hierarchies. Team-based collaboration is the only way to ensure safer care and better outcomes for Nigerians,” Ibrahim concluded.

The PSN urged President Tinubu to reconstitute the task force in line with international standards, emphasizing that equitable multidisciplinary representation is essential for effective clinical governance nationwide.