TABLE OF CONTENT
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND
OF STUDY
BRIEF
HISTORY OF THE COMPANY
1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
1.4
TESTING OF HYPOTHESIS
1.5
SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY
1.6 SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF STUDY
CHAPTER TWO
HISTORICAL
DIMENSION/ORIGIN OF CONSUMER PROTECTION
2.1
BASIS FOR CONSUMER PROTECTION
2.2 MARKETING CONCEPT ON CONSUMER
2.3 THE NIGERIAN MARKETING SCENE
2.5 CONSUMER PROTECTION IN NIGERIA
SOME
FORMS OF CONSUMER PROTECTION IN NIGERIA
2.7 SOME LAWS THAT ENHANCE PROTECTION
THE
ROLE OF NAFDAC IN ENSURING CONSUMER PROTECTION
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 POPULATION
OF STUDY
3.2 SAMPLE SIZE
3.3 RESEARCH INSTRUMENT
3.4
SOURCE OF DATA
SECONDARY DATA
3.5 VALIDATION OF RESEARCH INSTRUMENTS
3.6 METHOD OF DATA ANALYSIS
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA
4.1
INTERPRETATION OF DATA
ANALYSIS OF RESPONSES FROM
PHARMACISTS UNDER THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH
SAFETY OF THE DRUGS MARKET
FOR CONSUMER
REGISTRATION OF DRUGS
THE MOST DIFFICULT GROUP OF
DRUG DEALER IN THE DRUG MARKET
ANALYSIS OF RESPONSES FROM THE JUHEL PHARMACEUTICAL
COMPANY
DISTRIBUTION NETWORK
MEASURES AGAINST DRUGS
ADULTERATION
REASONS FOR DRUGS FAKING AND
ADULTERATION
COMPANY’S KNOWLEDGE FOR LAWS
AFFECTING THE MANUFACTURING AND SALES OF DRUGS
MEASURES ADOPTED TO AVAOID
CONSUMER OVER DOSE IN USE OF DRUGS
HOW TO ENSURE CONSUMER’S
SAFETY IN THE MARKET
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY OF FINDING
5.1 RECOMMENDATION
RECOMMENDATIONS
PART – ONE
RECOMMENDATION
PART TWO
5.2 CONCLUSION
BIBLIOGRAPHY
QUESTIONNAIRE
QUESTIONNAIRE
QUESTIONNAIRE
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND
OF STUDY
Consumer protection is more
and more becoming a topical issue in this country. Consumers in Nigeria is constantly abused
but had permanently remained unresponsive to various forms of trade
malpractices distributed by sellers/producers.
The efficiency of marketing as a
cannel of commitment to the consumer, as time goes on, it will depend largely
on the extent it succeeds in enhancing the quality of consumers judgments, and
in maintaining fair competitive conditions that allows customers to make free
and informed choices between various alternative.
This will involve making available to
consumers much more relevant product and serves information, for example,
performance and safety in use, unit pricing and conditions of contract. It also means that business men, on their
own part must accept that the maintenance of fair competitive market condition
and safeguarding of consumers rights cannot be left entirely tot heir own self
regulatory codes, however, legislation should be kept at a level and only
enacted as a last resort providing successful, real consumers judgement in the
market place, has to do with a determined effort to ensure that consumer
understand their rights under existing law.
This will involve extensive consumer education on the enacted
legislation self-regulating codes of practice and adverse publicity for those
who transgress such codes. This
however, will not be enhanced by removing from consumer the necessity to make
their own decision, or by imposing on the market condition which limits the
freedom of a consumer choice or the means of developing their powers of
judgments.
Based on
this preview, we will be investigating the level of protection offered to use
of drugs by government and manufacturers considering such law and ethics
controlling and regulating the organization involved in drug marketing (drug
dispensing and distribution). This is
because of the importance of drugs to the life of the people. A drug can help or destroy a person’s
life. It defined as “a chemical agent
that affects the function of living things”.
Drugs are used in preventing treating and diagnosing diseases.
The investigation also extend to how,
in case of low level of protection, stronger protective measure could be
endured in order have honest marketing practice in the drug industry and ensure
healthy usage or consumption of drugs in the country.
In order, to accomplish this study,
Juhel Pharmaceutical Company has been selected as a case organization.
BRIEF
HISTORY OF THE COMPANY
Juhel Company Limited has been in the
manufacturing and distribution/sales of drugs in the country for the past eighteen
years (18).
This company (Juhel Pharmaceutical)
is located or has it’s head office at 35 Nkwubor Road Emene. The Director name is Chief Ifeanyi
Okoye. This company also engage in other
business activities example (Juhel Filling Station) Juhel Company activities
cover the thirty six states of the federation.
Juhel specialized mainly on Septrin
for children, Juhel paracetamol, Ampicllox, Vitamin C white and orange colour,
Babimol paracetamol for children, Pastin extra for headache, pain relief and
folic acid. The company uses the
services of distributors, wholesalers and direct distribution by company’s
sales force.
In guarding against adulteration of
their drugs, the company quality control dept adopt measures such as
manipulation of packaging material ranging from labeling to utilization of
buster packs
1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
Over the years, the Nigeria
consumers has been subjected to various forms of trade malpractices by the
producers/sellers. There have been
instances where law quality, adulterated, inferior or even fake product are
sold to consumers as genuine of real ones.
Let us consider the following cases.
“The case of trader selling chalk as Asprin, IPA as methylated spirit.
Drugs all over the country are
categorized. Some are called over the counter (O.T.C)
drugs, others are poisons which must not be obtained without prescription by an
expert. The patent medicine dealers are
licensed to sell only the (O.T.C) category.
But many of them sell those in the poison category because according to
them, that is where the profit is.
In view of these, the researcher is
concerned with determining the safety of a citizen of the country in
consumption or usage of drug.
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The objectives of this study
are to:
1)
Ascertain how safe the drug market is for the users in
the country.
2)
How much the government is involved in ensuring safety
in the drug market.
3)
To probe into the activities of companies in the light
of marketing concept.
4)
How the activities of patient medicine dealers affect
the safety of consumer of drug
1.6
TESTING OF HYPOTHESIS
Within
the framework of the above objectives the following hypotheses have been put
forward:
Ho: The drug
market is safe for consumer of drug in the country.
Hi: The drug
market is safe for consumer of drug in the country.
Ho: Activities
of the patent medicine dealers affect the safety of consumer of drugs.
Hi: Activities
of patent medicine dealers do not affect the safety of consumers of drug.
1.7
SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY
This
study is of immense benefit to the manufacturers or producers of drug, seller,
consumer of drugs, government and to the researcher as well.
Firstly,
producers will benefit from this study so as to improve upon and control their
marketing strategies.
Secondly,
the sellers of drug will adopt better marketing methods to the needs and wants
of their prospective consumers which will eventually enhance opportunity for
realizing greater profit.
Thirdly,
the study will educate the consumers on their rights in the markets as
stipulated in the laws.
Again,
it will help the government to know why the drug market is still infested with
unscrupulous drug producers and dealers despite all their efforts to ensure
safety.
Finally,
it will help the researcher to know the reason for un-safety in the drug
market.
1.6 SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF STUDY
This study will consist of
the analysis of various decree enacted by the government with regards to the
manufacture, sale, and dispensing of drugs.
Some of these decrees include the food and drug decree 1974, price
control decree 1977. Pharmacists act 1965 and counterfeit and fake drug decree
1988. The analysis also extend to such
law that relate to setting up of patent medicine shops, establishment of
nursing profession and other laws deemed relevant to the study.
Assessment is made on the works of
writers on consumer protection, like Development of Consumers Law and Policy
Bold Spirit and Timerous Souls” by Bonie and Gordon. The different kind of consumer laws relevant
tour study written by these authors are examined in the light of what is
obtained in Nigeria. Also the
assessment consists of the roles played by the health bodies in the
country. In ensuring healthy production
and consumption of drug like the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN). Nigeria Medical Association (NMA). National Agency for food and drug
administration and control (NAFDAC) Federal Environmental Protection Agency
(FEPA) Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDIEA) and Federal and State Ministries of
Health (Represented by Abia State Ministry of Health Umuahia).
The scope also extends to an enquiry
into the disposition of distributors in ensuring the safety of the consumers in
the market and methods adopted by manufacturers in order to ensure the
availability of the right kind of drugs in the market and safe
consumption. This however, was limited
to Juhel Pharmaceutical Company. (Nigeria
Limited which is used as case study.
This is because the company covers a larger area (nationwide) in the
drug market. In enquiring into the
activities of the drug dealers in the market, the scope of the study also
extend to the activities of consumers in ensuring safety in the use of these
drugs.
Some difficulties that limited the
progress of the study start from the uncooperative attitude of some consumers
who are unlettered and suspicious of the researcher as police CID personnel
pretending to be student. Other factors
that stood out as the limitation of the study include finance and time.
FINANCE
The researcher on this topic entails
traveling every now and then and they were all financially demanding. As a student the researcher found it difficult
to provide enough finance for the research.
TIME
The time interval, within which the
research work was expected coupled with the academic work facing the researcher
as a final year student, restricted the consideration of some relevant issues.
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