Benjamin Kwame Botwe
The Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana (PSGH) has urged the Ministry of Health to as a matter of urgency include community pharmacists and their pharmaceutical support staff in the government’s distribution of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
The Society also called for the inclusion of pharmacists in the implementation of the tax exemption given to the frontline health workers.
President of the PSGH, Pharm. Benjamin Kwame Botwe, said the oversight if not corrected quickly will not augur well for the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic as cases continue to increase exponentially.
“The concern of the leadership of PSGH is that this oversight puts not only pharmacists and the pharmaceutical support staff at risk of getting infected but also the potential of becoming the source of new infections,” Pharm. Botwe said.
Speaking at the ceremony to donate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to about 2000 pharmacists, and eight health facilities in the country, Pharm. Botwe noted that already, the society has lost one of its members to Covid-19.
He said with the current figures showing the community spread of the disease, community pharmacists are being put in danger, “even now that many patients are avoiding hospital facilities for fear of contracting the disease.”
“As a profession whose primary objective is the pharmaceutical care of our patients and the health security of the general public, we feel this situation needs immediate redress,” he added.
Pharm. Botwe observed that looking at the infection trend, the next phase of the pandemic fight would have to leverage a lot of community engagement and education most of which could occur at the community pharmacy level.
“As a profession, we are willing to play our role but will have to in a way that ensures that the risk to our members and their staff is mitigated,” he said.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri