The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) has attributed the recent outbreak of cholera in some parts of Nigeria to the consumption of sachet water (popularly called pure water).

Other causes of the disease, according to the association, are poverty, overpopulation and unhygienic environment.

The Kwara State Chairman of the association, Chief Abdulmojeed Oderinde, addressed reporters yesterday in Ilorin, the state capital, ahead of the association’s 86th national conference.

He noted that cholera is caused by a lack of access to potable water, among other factors.

The PSN chairman urged elected office holders in three tiers of government to provide potable water.

He said nobody should consume sachet water, which he said was mostly unhygienic, if they had access to potable water.

The PSN chairman condemned salary disparity among health workers in the state.

He noted that in a situation where a medical doctor earned N180,000 monthly, while a pharmacist got N45,000, was discouraging.

According to him, of the 150 pharmacists in the state, only a few are employed in the health sector.

Oderinde stressed that the development had led many qualified pharmacists to migrate to neighbouring states.

He also said of the 16,000 pharmacists in the country, 5,000 of them practised outside Nigeria, adding that an average of one pharmacist was available to about 10,000 people.

He urged the government to employ more pharmacists, saying there cannot be dividends on money spent on health sector without the right personnel.