By Jesse Ampah Owusu
Accra, July 17, GNA – Dr Kwaku Ireland, National Chairman of the Community Practice Pharmacists Association (CPPA), has urged pharmacists to maintain regular presence at community pharmacies to provide professional care.
He said the Association had observed instances where some pharmacists were frequently absent from their designated pharmacies, depriving the public of essential pharmaceutical services.
“A survey we conducted about three years ago showed only 30 to 35 per cent presence of members at pharmacies,” he noted during a Leadership and Professional Development Seminar for young pharmacists.
“The situation has improved significantly, but there is still more to be done to reach 100 per cent punctuality rate.”
The seminar is beig organised by the CPPA in collaboration with the Early Career Pharmaceutical Group (ECPG).
It aimed to equip young professionals with leadership and development skills to enhance their knowledge, competence, and service delivery.
Mr. Ireland stressed that pharmacists’ presence was critical, not just for dispensing medication, but also for delivering essential clinical and therapeutic services.
“For example, if we are providing medication therapy management, take for instance a patient who is taking about three or four different kinds of medication, no other person in the pharmacy can help you get the utmost outcome or benefit of such a medication than the pharmacist,” he said.
Mr Reginald Sekyi-Brown, Chairperson of the ECPG, said it was vital for early-career pharmacists to develop strong leadership and managerial skills to enhance professional efficiency.
He said learning from experienced professionals would help shape their careers and ensure they upheld the core values of the pharmacy profession in Ghana.
“The scope of the practice has widened to not only the main medication practice but also to include civic and moral duty.
“”The resolve to reposition pharmacy [as] an intellectual institution that encourages leadership and service in all facets of life,” he added.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey