The Senate, Thursday, raised the alarm that the majority of the imported syringes and needles are substandard.
The Senate also said that many of them are unsterile syringes that have been used and rewashed from the Asian continent and thereafter imported into the country.The Senate is however carrying a holistic probe into the state of manufacturing, importation, and policy guideline for syringe and Needles in Nigeria.
According to the Senate, against the backdrop that the imported syringe and Needles are already used and released, they then endanger the lives, health, and safety of Nigerians.
The Senate also said that it is worried that an estimated over 1 Billion units per annum of syringe and needles are being imported into the country making the country lose huge foreign exchange, just as it said that the estimated requirement of syringe and needle in the country is about 2 Billion units per annum.
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Resolutions of the Senate yesterday were sequel to a motion titled “The need to regulate the manufacturing, importation, and use of Syringes and needles to protect the lives and safety of Nigerians as well as the economy of the country”, sponsored by Senator. Ibrahim Oloriegbe, APC, Kwara Central and co-sponsored by Senator Suleiman Umar, APC, Kwara North.
Earlier in his presentation, Senator Oloriegbe said, “we are aware that syringes and needles are essential medical products used for the administration of drugs parentally (Intravenous, Intramuscular, Subcutaneous) to safe human lives.
“We are aware also that if not sterilized and of the right quality, the use of syringes and needles could cause disease and even death to the patient. Hence, instead of being a life-saving instrument, it becomes a danger to the patient, ” he added.
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Consequently, the Senate has directed its Committee on Health (Secondary and Tertiary) to summon the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire to provide an explanation on the policy for the procurement and utilization of syringe and needles by federally, state, and privately owned hospitals and agencies of the Ministry.
Oloriegbe said that the syringe manufacturing industry is a developing sector in Nigeria, and can save the country millions of dollars if it is properly utilized.
In his words, “There and has seven (7) existing manufacturing factories, cut across the nation. Investment in the sub-sector is estimated to be about 64 Billion Naira with a potential market value of about 100 Billion Naira that could be created locally, engaging about 3000 Nigerians directly and saving Nigeria about 150 Million Dollars in foreign exchange requirement per annum”.
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