25/01/2026
WHO HAS UNRESTRICTED AUTHORITY TO PRESCRIBE MEDICINES AMONG HEALTH PROFESSIONALS IN NIGERIA?
By: Nestor Udoh
In recent times a conversation has arisen as to who, among all the professionals in the health industry are legally permitted to initiate and issue prescriptions of drugs and medicines to patients, especially in the hospital, and even in community settings in Nigeria.
Because of the activities of quacks in the different professions in the health sector, members of the public have been led, and manipulated to believe that anyone in the health industry can safely prescribe drugs to patients.
This belief has been accentuated by the deplorable state of the health care industry in most states, occasioned by systemic neglect, and recently worsened by the mass exodus of medical professionals in search of greener pastures elsewhere.
This aside, who amongst the professionals are permitted by law in an unrestricted manner to prescribe drugs for patients?
As of January 2026, the Medical and Dental Practitioners Act, Cap M8, LFN 2004, section 17 remains the primary law defining who is the prescribing authority in the Nigerian health care sector.
The law explicitly states that only qualified medical doctors and dentists, registered with the Nigerian Medical Council can legally prescribe any drug for patients without restrictions.
It goes on to explicitly list those professionals that CANNOT legally initiate prescriptions of drugs, except over-the-counter drugs for patients without being regulated.
These professionals include:
1.Pharmacists
2.Medical laboratory scientists
3.Radiographers
4.Community health extension workers.
You will notice that we did not include nurses among those restricted by the law from prescribing. This does not mean they are not.
In some countries, the law permits nurses in certain disciplines especially obstetrics and gynecology, to administer certain life savings drugs in emergencies, only as prescribed by the treatment protocols of their respective workplaces.
This is also the situation in Nigeria.
This law was not enacted by the country's parliament to favour medical doctors.
Nigeria does not love its doctors more than other professionals. In fact, anyone so disposed could say that in many states, the reverse seems to be the case.
Poor remuneration, coupled with back breaking work overload, has made many of them to flee the country to seek greener pastures, even in very unlikely places.
The reason why this law was enacted is the training undergone by medical doctors.
The curriculum of every medical school takes the medical student through virtually every discipline in the medical and health field.
To the extent that, there is no field of human health in which he does not have a working knowledge, on graduation and certification as a registered member of the medical profession.
He knows the anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pathology, psychology etc of the human being. If it were possible to manufacture human beings, the medical doctor would be the expert.
He is taken through months of training in drug chemistry, drug use and abuse, drug prescription, side effects, interactions etc.
Of course he is not expected to be an authority on drugs, like the pharmacist, but as we said, he has a working knowledge on drugs, its prescription and management.
And safe practice of medicine dictates that the pharmacist serves as the consultant in matters of drugs to the prescribing authority, which is the medical doctor.
All these are the reasons why the law recognises only medical doctors and dentists as the only unrestrained authorities to prescribe drugs for patients in Nigeria.
You can draw your conclusions, from the foregoing, in the light of the very loud and often times emotional and cantankerous claims by members of certain professions that they too can SAFELY prescribe drugs for patients.
This is contrary to the letters of the extant laws in Nigeria.
Nigeria, as a country is very rich in written laws, but extremely poor in legal enforcement.
Today, every health related commercial outlet, especially pharmacies, medical laboratories, drug stores, patent medicine shops and even some private residential homes have people sitting and prescribing drugs to patients without let or hinderance.
For very clear reasons, many patients even seem to prefer these outlets to hospitals where they can get a doctor's prescription because of convenience and informal nature of their services.
But let us place it on record that any prescription, outside over-the-counter drugs, that does not come from a registered medical doctor is illegal and dangerous.
In places where laws are properly enforced, all those involved in this illegal transactions would be facing the law in courts.
© Dr Nestor Udoh
MBChB, Bsc, MSc, MPH, FMCPH.
Consultant public health physician.
Formerly Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Akwa Ibom State
