Flowerbudnews
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in Kebbi State has raised concerns over the poor storage conditions of vaccines in most local government cold rooms.
The state coordinator of NAFDAC, Muyideen Sulaiman, made this known during a recent courtesy visit to the Commissioner of Health at the Ministry of Health in Birnin Kebbi
Sulaiman clarified that the agency has never received expired vaccines from the 21 local government areas in the state. However, he expressed concern over the conditions observed during inspections.
“What we saw in the cold rooms of local councils is not encouraging. We appeal to the state government to improve their vaccine storage facilities,” he said.
Speaking on the fight against counterfeit and expired drugs, Sulaiman revealed that NAFDAC has introduced the Greenbook App, a digital tool designed to detect fake or expired drugs.
The app contains a database of all registered drugs and products, complete with expiration dates and authentic NAFDAC registration numbers.
He further appealed to the state government to establish Coordinated Wholesale Drug Distribution Units, where all drug supplies would be screened before being distributed to patent stores and pharmacies.
This, he said, would allow NAFDAC officials to verify drug authenticity before they reach medicine vendors across the state.
In response, the Kebbi State Commissioner for Health, Yunusa Ismail, pledged to collaborate with NAFDAC to ensure the safety of drugs and food in the state.
“We are ready to partner with the agency to train our staff on how to use the Greenbook App. We will also ensure that local councils improve their vaccine storage conditions and reactivate vaccine delivery vans across all LGAs,” he assured.
