The Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana (PSGH) on Monday noted that there was the need to ensure the rational use of medicines since it was critical to improving patient safety. A communiqué issued at the end of the PSGH Annual General Meeting said the absence of pharmacists to ensure professional pharmaceutical care and supervision in several private, public and other health facilities where medicines were managed, prescribed, dispensed and used was taking a huge toll on scarce national resources and putting patients at unacceptable risks.

The communiqué signed by Mr. James Ohemeng Kyei, President of PSGH, also noted that poor documentation, research and information on prescribing trends, pharmaceutical care plan and issues reduces the ability of the nation to make policies based on nationally-generated data.

The pharmacists therefore pledge to actively support, promote and pursue the enforcement of the provisions of the Pharmacy Act, Act 489 of 1994 to ensure that no individual, institution or facility provides pharmaceutical care and services without the express approval by the Pharmacy Council.

They also renewed their commitment to champion the need for and promotion of the Rational Use of Medicines nationwide through an active engagement of the public and civil society on the Rational Use of Medicine.

The communiqué called on government to expedite action on the establishment of the Ghana College of Pharmacists as a statutory institution to provide post-qualification specialist training for pharmacists.

The PSGH also urged the government to urgently take steps to de-couple medicine prescribing and medicine dispensing services under the National Health Insurance Scheme and to effectively resource regulatory bodies like the Pharmacy Council and the Food and Drugs Board in order to improve on pharmaco-vigilance, practice regulation and post-market surveillance of medicines and medicines use in the country.

Commenting on governance and national issues, the PSGH urged political parties to strive to preserve the high marks Ghana holds as the continent’s standard for democracy.

They further called on the security services to deal evenly, swiftly, fairly, firmly and ruthlessly with any group of persons whose acts or omissions may actually or potentially undermine the security and peace of the nation.

The PSGH called on the Electoral Commission to do all it can to maintain high credibility it built in the last five presidential and parliamentary elections.