Pharmacies Call For Equipment

Kumasi (ASH), June 27, - Hospital pharmacies must be provided with certain basic equipment to enable them to manufacture some simple drugs needed in the hospitals. Mr R. Sarfo-Mensah, Head of the Department of Pharmacy of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, made the call when a delegation of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health paid a visit to the He said between 1978-79, the hospital took delivery of equipment which enabled it to produce water for injection and infusions, but since these machines broke down, they have been buying these He cited the example of water for injection which costs the hospital 60 million cedis a year. Mr Sarfo-Mensah said this state of affairs constitutes a serious under-utilisation of pharmacists trained with hard-earned tax-payers money only to be employed to ''count tablets'', which does not require any skill. He said young pharmacists eager to serve the communities get frustrated and leave the country both for greener pastures and for experience. Mr Sarfo-Mensah called on the government to address this problem.