Ghana’s health delivery threatened by counterfeit drugs – Dr Nuertey
Dr Joseph Teye Nuertey, Volta Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has said Ghana’s health delivery system is threatened by the growing availability of counterfeit and substandard medicines on the market.
“Our people are in danger if efforts are not quickened to eliminate counterfeit and substandard medicines from the pharmacy and chemical shops,” he said.
Dr Nuertey was addressing the opening session of the National Pharmaceutical Senior Managers Meeting and Scientific Seminar on Tuesday at Sogakope.
The five-day meeting to review performance and share experiences, is on the theme, “The Millennium Development Goals – Moving Strategies to Action, the Role of the Pharmaceutical Service Managers.
Mr Nuertey entreated pharmacists to advise policy makers on the best ways to tackle the menace.
He said a recent research on the potency of ‘uteronics’, a maternal delivery medicine, found that those medicines in some public facilities were either counterfeit or poorly stocked.
Dr Nuertey said there was a shortage of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in health facilities, particularly in the Volta Region, where some district facilities faced acute situations.
He said the refusal of pharmacists to accept postings to the rural areas in the past because of the supposed non-existence of private business opportunities was no longer the case, and called for collaboration to resolve problems in the pharmaceutical service delivery.
Mr Joseph Adomako, Director of Administration at the Ministry of Health said the Ministry remained focused on attaining quality health delivery in line with the MDG goals of the country.
“The institutional maternal mortality ratio of 176.1 deaths per 100,000 live births and 80 deaths per 1,000 live births in under-fives are not acceptable,” he said.
He asked the pharmaceutical service managers and other related officers to ensure that medicines needed to prevent deaths among women and children in particular, were available, affordable and of good quality.
Mrs Martha Gyansa-Lutterodt, Director of Pharmaceutical Services asked pharmacy service providers to ensure the success of the national health insurance scheme by avoiding fraudulent claims, saying a recent audit revealed a lot of claim-frauds.
She asked the Pharmacists to work closely with midwives to ensure they had their regular supplies, and to reduce maternal deaths.
Source: GNA