The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Achievers Pharmacy in Obuasi, Philip Anokye, has accused the Pharmacy Council Ghana of purposely undermining his business by closing it down.
He is perplexed as to why the Council has closed his shop, denying the livelihoods of 20 employees, but enabling him to pay a penalty of GH¢3,500 for late registration renewal.
Mr. Anokye, who suspects foul play in the regulators’ approach, has stated that he intends to write to the Council through his lawyers to demand an explanation for the action taken against him.
He told the media that the Achievers Pharmacy shop had been in operation since 2018, providing both pharmaceutical and laboratory services to people in and around Obuasi in the Ashanti Region.
According to him, he was unable to renew his licence for this year on time since the pharmacist who had been assisting him with the processes had left the country.
When he finally found a new pharmacist to execute his registration renewal, Mr. Anokye said the Pharmacy Council blew up, saying that he had violated the Health Professions Regulatory Bodies Act 2013 (Act 857), and thus had to pay a penalty.
“We have now paid what is owed to the Council, but our shop has been closed, denying more than 20 of our employees a living. We cannot claim to be fostering private investment in the country while frustrating private citizens doing legitimate business in Ghana,” the Achievers boss stated.
He continued, “We have done all these despite initial challenges so why must they close down this shop sending all our workers home in this difficult economic situation.”
Mr. Anokye stated that he does not understand why the Council, led by its Director, Pharm Benjamin Botwe, approved the renewal of the registration but then decided to close the shop.
“The director approved and sanctioned this after I signed an undertaking to that effect,” he intimated.
On May 2, 2023, one Mr. Amoh from the Regional Pharmaceutical Council invaded Obuasi with some security officers to lock down the shop, which the staff initially opposed.
He said that the said Amoh subsequently returned with a police reinforcement squad to close down the shop, but they were saved by the intervention of Obuasi Municipal Police Commander, Chief Supt. Elizabeth Viney.
“The matter was amicably settled and we started our operation rendering quality services to our people,” he added.
He stated that another team from Accra returned to close the shop, and that many attempts to get it reopened had proved unsuccessful.
A News Desk Report