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The Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone has extended its enforcement drive to the provinces, concluding a two-day regional Disciplinary Committee Hearing in Bo and Makeni on October 1 and 2, 2025.
The hearings, part of the Board’s quarterly compliance routine, saw 76 pharmaceutical outlets fined for regulatory breaches.
The disciplinary measures form part of a broader compliance framework that includes routine inspections, fines, and, where necessary, closure or revocation of licences.
The outlets summoned included pharmacies, drugstores, and patent medicine shops in Kenema, Bo, Mattru Jong, Makeni, Mile 91, Lunsar, Bamoi, Kambia, Port Loko, and Magburaka. Violations were identified during inspections by the Board’s Distribution Chain Inspection Department.
Major breaches included the absence of qualified personnel, the sale of counterfeit or unregistered drugs, and the illegal stocking of Class A, B, and other controlled substances in patent medicine shops practices prohibited under the Pharmacy and Drugs Act 2021.
Under Sections 12(1) and 12(4)(b) of the Act, each violation attracted a fine of Le500. Offending outlets are required to make payments within 21 days of the Committee’s ruling.
Thomas Joe Freeman Esq., representing the Office of the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice and Chair of the Disciplinary Committee, emphasized that the hearings aim not merely to impose fines but to ensure operators stop practices that endanger public health. He warned that once the revised Act takes effect, non-compliant outlets may face closure or licence revocation, and repeat offenders will face stricter penalties.
The Pharmacy Board urges all pharmaceutical operators to comply with licensing requirements, ensure qualified personnel are present at all times, and refrain from stocking prohibited or unregistered medicines. Non-compliance will continue to attract disciplinary action.
