Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia
Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has bemoaned the lack of pharmaceutical companies in the deprived areas of the country.
According to him, the development would affect the attainment of the touted United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
He said the maiden ‘Ghana Pharma Awards’ in Ghana was held over the weekend to recognize excellence in the pharmaceutical industry.
It was used to celebrate thinkers and creators, and served as a strong advocate for individuals and companies that are committed to driving the industry forward.
“While acknowledging the support of the pharmaceutical society in helping improve healthcare delivery in the country, permit me to bemoan the fact that most of our rural communities do not have any means of having access to pharmaceutical services delivery unless they travel long distances,” he said.
Dr Bawumia therefore appealed to the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana and all relevant stakeholders to extend pharmaceutical services to the deprived communities in the country.
“I urge all the players in the pharmaceutical sector, including the private sector, to pool resources together to turn Ghana into a vibrant pharmaceutical research and development and production hub not only to support healthcare delivery, but also to provide jobs and its associated benefits to millions in Ghana.”
He was of the belief Ghana must find a suitable location to be developed into an industrial park exclusively for pharmaceutical industries.
That, he said, would lead to the establishment of modern pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities which would help meet all current international Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) standards, including the WHO-Prequalification standards.
The Vice President said that government is currently looking at the Ghana Pharmaceutical Sector Development Strategy document and would consider the proposal to set up a National Bio-equivalence Centre in collaboration with the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana, Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association and other stakeholders.
He said the Ghana Pharma Awards would set a benchmark for excellence.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu,Presidential Correspondent