By Stanley Senya
Accra, June 7, GNA – Dr Samuel Kow Donkoh, President of Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana (PSGH), has urged government to integrate pharmacies as core components of primary healthcare for efficient and patient-centered system.
He said this would help save patients from travelling long distances, ensure more responsive healthcare system and address health disparities among underserved areas.
“One study reports that more than 80 per cent of Ghanaians untilize community pharmacy services for what they consider as minor ailments. However it was important to make
medical products accessible and affordable to citizens who are in underserved areas across the country,” he said.
Dr Samuel Kow Donkoh said pharmacies held immense potential as primary health providers as they had direct access to patients in rural communities, making them more a primary provider of health care.
He said this at the launch of The Strategy to Enhance Access to Pharmaceutical Services (SEAPS) Project in Accra on Thursday.
The project aimed to enhance quality pharmaceutical care and primary healthcare with focus on underserved communities in Ghana.
Speaking of the SEAPS project, Dr Samuel Kow Donkoh said through dedicated financial and technical support, the Association would empower pharmacists to deliver services more effectively for a robust network that ensured equality in healthcare.
He said the project would train young pharmacists to establish and expand their practices, and integrate advanced technology in pharmaceutical shops.
Dr Samuel Kow Donkoh encouraged the government to examine the healthcare system more inclusively to leverage on existing infrastructure and systems to extend access to healthcare.
Mrs Adelaide Yaa Agyeiwaa Ntim, Deputy Minister of Health, in her speech, said the SEAPS project was timely because its complement the recently launched Implementation Guidelines for the Network of Practice by the Ghana Health Service, which aimed to addres systemic challenges in healthcare delivery and to build a long-term primary health care model.
She said pharmacists with their training and qualification could address challenging gaps in medication management within the primary care settings.
“The imperative to expand access to primary care requires the healthcare system to be more inclusive, incorporate all licensed primary health care providers in the delivery chain and provide innovative solutions for quality healthcare to all patients,” she said.
She said the initiative supported the broader goals of providing high-quality pharmaceutical services to every Ghanaian, regardless of location because pharmacies were crucial in primary healthcare, and integrating them can enhance patient outcomes, reduce costs, and improve public health.
The Deputy Minister urged all stakeholders to rally behind the SEAPS Project to create a healthcare system that truly serves all Ghanaians.
Dr Dominic Otchere, Director of Pharmaceutical Services of Ghana Health Service who represented Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, Director General of Ghana Health Service, said pharmaceutical care was a critical and indispensable component of health service, therefore, community pharmacists remained the first point of call, thus serving as the point of entry into the national health care system, bringing health service delivery as close as possible to where people live and work.
He said we must increase pharmacists participation in medicines management to solve the problem of poor quality medicines across the country.
He commended the PSGH for efforts to bring health service delivery to where people live and work.
GNA