By SundiataPOST, Abuja
The Benue State government on Thursday said it had constituted a task force that would work toward curbing the menace of drug hawking in the state.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr Orduen Abunku, made the disclosure at the ongoing Benue State Council on Health meeting taking place in Makurdi.
Abunku, who expressed concern over the high rate of drug hawking in the state, said the practice posed health hazards to users.
He said the task force was mandated to work toward curtailing the high prevalence of hawking in the state and listed painkillers, sex stimulants, anti-inflamatory agents, sedatives and antibiotics as some of the frequently hawked drugs.
The commissioner added that those who patronised drug hawkers did so without recourse to their health implications.
He advised the public to always seek expert advice before purchasing pharmaceutical items, especially drugs.
The pharmaceutical council, he noted, was the only recognised institution vested with the powers of granting approvals to outlets to dispense drugs.
He, however, regretted that most of the outlets where such drugs were dispensed failed short of the minimum requirements of the council.
He said most of the drugs were exposed to sunlight and were subjected to inappropriate temperatures which made them inefficient.
