The Oncology Pharmacy Practitioners Association of Nigeria has called for safer chemotherapy practices in the country, warning that poor safety measures and inadequate infrastructure could endanger cancer patients and healthcare workers.

The association made the call on Monday in Abuja during a one-day training for oncology pharmacists ahead of its maiden 2026 biennial scientific conference.

More than 100 oncology pharmacists participated in the training.

OPPAN stressed the need for urgent enforcement of global safety standards, improved training and increased investment in specialised oncology pharmacy services to reduce medication errors, toxic exposure and treatment complications.

Ijeoma Okwesileze, national chairman of OPPAN, said the hands-on training was designed to expose participants to the practical aspects of oncology pharmacy practice.

“The target trainees are licensed pharmacists in Nigeria who have the passion and interest to specialise in oncology pharmacy. We want to scale up oncology pharmacy practice and uplift oncology pharmacy capacity in Nigeria,” she said.

According to her, some participants also joined virtually from other African countries, including Sierra Leone, Mauritius and Botswana.

Ms Okwesileze said the association expected more oncology pharmacists to establish functional oncology pharmacy units in their health facilities in line with the Federal Ministry of Health’s ChemoSafe policy.

She advised clinicians to integrate safe oncology pharmacy care into multidisciplinary cancer management teams.

“The trained oncology pharmacists should be allowed to take charge of chemotherapy reconstitution in their facilities, based on the ChemoSafe policy of the Federal Ministry of Health,” she said.

AbdulRahman Abdullahi, the assistant national secretary of OPPAN, described oncology pharmacy as an emerging speciality in pharmacy practice. He said outdated practices often exposed patients, healthcare providers and others within treatment environments to toxic substances.

“Looking at global standards, especially in developed countries, the association realised that the practice was in danger. But there were no experts, and this is the major reason OPPAN came into existence,” he said.

Clara Adesola, the head of the Pharmacy Department at the National Hospital, Abuja, said the training would benefit the health sector if participants adhered to recommended safety procedures.

“The association is training younger pharmacists to become confident in joining other professionals in the management of cancer patients. These drugs are cytotoxic and hazardous, so there is a need for expertise in handling them, as well as compassion in caring for patients,” she said.

(NAN)