By Samira Larbie/Grace Yayra KagatseÂ
Accra, July 11, GNA – Community pharmacists have been urged to strengthen communication with patients, colleagues and other healthcare professionals while deepening collaboration across the health sector to improve patient outcomes and advance primary healthcare delivery.
Dr John Allotey, Co-founder of Allotey and Associates, made the call at the launch of the fourth Community Practice Pharmacists Association (CPPA) month celebration and Basaar in Accra, on the theme Community Pharmacist: Bridging the Gap in Primary Healthcare Delivery.
He said effective communication remained one of the most important tools available to pharmacists in delivering quality healthcare services and urged practitioners to move beyond simply giving instructions to patients.
“Our patients do not arrive as empty vessels waiting for a result. They arrive already full of beliefs about their condition and their medication,” he said.
Dr Allotey stressed the need for pharmacists to listen carefully to patients and ensure they understood how to use their medicines correctly.
He said effective patient engagement would improve medication adherence, build trust and ultimately lead to better health outcomes.
Dr Allotey highlighted the importance of teamwork within community pharmacies, urging managers to create psychologically safe workplaces where staff could freely raise concerns about medication errors or patient safety issues.
“Build a team that talks. Build a team that listens. Build a team that can correct,” he said.
Dr Allotey also encouraged stronger collaboration between pharmacists and prescribing physicians, saying pharmacists should confidently communicate clinical observations, discuss potential drug interactions, recommend affordable therapeutic alternatives and suggest interventions to improve patient care.
“Communication across professions requires a particular kind of confidence. That is not arrogance. That is professional maturity,” he said.
Dr Allotey reminded pharmacists that their greatest contribution would not be measured by the number of prescriptions dispensed but by the lives they positively influenced.
“The question will be how many lives were different because of you,” he said.
Mr George Smith-Graham, Chief Executive Officer of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, called for greater recognition of community pharmacists, describing them as indispensable partners in expanding access to quality healthcare and strengthening Ghana’s primary healthcare system.
“Supporting community pharmacists is not simply about supporting one profession. It is about improving access to healthcare, reducing pressure on hospitals, promoting disease prevention and advancing universal healthcare coverage,” he said.
Mr Smith-Graham commended the Ghana Community Pharmacy Association for its leadership in promoting professional excellence and public service, urging members to continue embracing innovation while maintaining the highest standards of practice.
He observed that the importance of community pharmacists became evident during the COVID-19 pandemic when many Ghanaians relied on pharmacies for professional healthcare advice before visiting hospitals.
Mr Smith-Graham said community pharmacists had evolved beyond their traditional role of dispensing medicines to become key partners in healthcare delivery, providing accessible services within communities.
He called for stronger collaboration among government, regulatory bodies, educational institutions, healthcare facilities and community pharmacists to build a more integrated and resilient primary healthcare system.
Mr Smith-Graham advocated policies to strengthen community pharmacy practice, promote digital integration of pharmacy services, support continuous professional development and recognise pharmacists as essential members of multidisciplinary healthcare teams.
“Public confidence in our healthcare system depends significantly on the professionalism of those who serve in it,” he said, adding that strengthening community pharmacy practice would contribute directly to national development because “a healthy population is a productive population.”
The launch highlighted the expanding role of community pharmacists in healthcare delivery and the need for greater recognition and policy support for the profession.
The month-long celebration is expected to showcase their contributions to healthcare while promoting public awareness of their role in improving health outcomes and expanding access to quality pharmaceutical care.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
Reporter: Samira Larbie