The National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has said it will collaborate with the police to check hawking of unauthorised herbal medicine. The Coordinator of the agency in Anambra, Dr Christiana Esenwah said in Onitsha, Anambra, on Monday that the activities of the hawkers constituted noise pollution to the residents of the state and embarrassment to the agency, reports. Esenwah said that the hawkers had remained undaunted even after many of them were arrested, sanctioned and fined by the agency. She also said that the recent upward review of the administrative charges and tariffs for operating herbal medicine outlets had not deterred them. “We have observed that most of their activities have been reduced to after-hours (after office hours), that is after 4 o’clock (p.m.), that is when you see them really on the move. “They know that between the hours 8 and 4, we are active; so by the time we are closing at about 5 or 6, you see them coming out in (their) numbers. “Even in my home, when you come out; unfortunately I can't work when I have closed; when I am resting in my home that is when you hear the loudest noise. “You see them in their buses and all that; as if to say: ok the masters have gone in, lets us come and have our field's day. “It is so annoying; and we feel we need to get security agents; we need to go a step further, there are people who operate shifts; I mean the security agents who operate shifts. “I think we can work in collaboration with them; since these people have seen that once we close from work, it is time for them to operate; we too should go a step further to see that we can get these people.” As stated by Esenwah, the agency would increase its monitoring of the state, by expanding the scope of NAFDAC Consumer Safety Clubs (NCSC) in secondary schools from 42 to 52 before the end of the year. She stated that the establishment of the clubs in schools is to create awareness and to educate the students on the dangers of using counterfeit drugs at an early age.
