The life expectancy of Nigerians, currently estimated at 53 years, maybe further impacted by the challenges occasioned by the naira redesign controversy, the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) has revealed.
Professor Cyril Usifo, President, PSN, in a statement Wednesday said the current state of the economy caused by the scarcity of the new naira notes may also give rise to cases of morbidity and mortality.
He noted that the Federal Government institutions now reject the old naira notes and insist on payment of services through confirmed transfer services or payments with bank tellers into their accounts.
He berated the judiciary for failing to align with the masses in the current circumstances, as most of the courts in the land had stopped collecting old naira notes from people gearing to file processes in court registries.
The statement read in part, “The PSN has observed with concern the paralysing and suffocating impasse that has accompanied the CBN-driven naira design.
“When this is added to the unduly long week of prevailing fuel scarcity, then it becomes all too obvious that these forces are conspiring to further reduce the unacceptable life expectancy of the Nigerian citizens put at 53.
“As it stands today, the economy appears to be grinding to a halt with the full potential of a meteoric rise in cases of morbidity and mortality because disease progression remains a major risk factor in a population where the less privileged who rely on out of pocket expenses to access healthcare is denied access to cash.
