The Oncology Pharmacy Practitioners Association of Nigeria (OPPAN) has raised the red flag over unsafe chemotherapy practices in the country, warning that weak safety protocols and poor infrastructure could place cancer patients and healthcare workers directly in harm’s way.
The association sounded the warning on Monday in Abuja during a one-day capacity-building training for oncology pharmacists ahead of its maiden 2026 biennial scientific conference.
More than 100 oncology pharmacists took part in the exercise, which focused on strengthening professional expertise and aligning cancer treatment procedures with international safety standards.
OPPAN stressed the urgent need for stricter enforcement of global safety guidelines, improved professional training and greater investment in specialised oncology pharmacy services to curb medication errors, toxic exposure and treatment-related complications.
National Chairman of OPPAN, Mrs. Ijeoma Okwesileze, averred that the practical training was designed to give participants hands-on exposure to modern 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.
She disclosed that some participants also joined virtually from other African nations, including Sierra Leone, Mauritius and Botswana, underscoring the growing regional interest in safer cancer care practices.
She also urged clinicians to weave safe oncology pharmacy care into multidisciplinary cancer management systems.
“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.
