Accra, Aug. 14,
GNA – Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has urged Ghanaian Pharmacists and
health care professionals to take advantage of the digital space to improve
access to essential medical supplies.
He said Ghana’s
quest to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) would be a mirage if the need to
ensure the availability of quality essential and affordable medicines delivered
by competent pharmacists were not met.
He was speaking
as the Guest of Honour at the first Public Lecture organised by the
Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana as part of their 2019 Annual General Meeting in
Accra on Tuesday on the theme: “Pharmacy in a Digital World”.
“The
availability of quality essential and affordable medicines at all levels of
healthcare delivery in addition to information on their appropriate usage can
therefore be said to be constitute an indispensable element for Ghana’s quest
at attaining UHC,” he said.
Government, he
said, identifies Pharmacists as critical role players in the effective delivery
of UHC, without whom the delivery of both quality medicines and pharmaceutical
care services would be severely compromised.
“This critical
requirement consequently underscores the need to re-position pharmacists within
the public and private healthcare delivery system to respond to the demands of
the day. I am of the firm belief that taking advantage of the digital space
will spur you on towards this,” Dr Bawumia said.
He said the
government was committed to transforming Ghana through the use of technology,
and the application of ICT in healthcare delivery.
Dr Bawumia said
he was impressed with the medical innovations being implemented by the young
men and women in the healthcare delivery chain, especially with the use of ICT
to deliver essential health care.
“We should not
be afraid to be global leaders in the area of digital transformation. We should
not be waiting for the advanced countries to take the lead before we follow. We
are just as capable of taking the lead in some areas. We should have the
confidence to innovate,” Dr Bawumia said.
He said
government was in favour of equitable and mutually beneficial cooperation with
all professional associations in the interests of national development.
“We will
continue to pay the necessary, close attention to the issues of the pharmacists
and use all the opportunities available to us primarily to address the most
vital health development objectives, to achieve an economic and technological
breakthrough, and to enhance competitiveness in the spheres that determine the
future,” he said.
Mr Benjamin
Kwame Botwe, President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana (PSGH), said the
PSGH was tapping into the digital world as most pharmacies were not only
computerized, but were using various softwares to manage stocks thereby
significantly reducing stock-outs and expiries, making them more efficient in
stock management.
He said the
PSGH was also providing opportunities for members to have access to new
softwares by engaging developers on its relevance and cost.
Mr Botwe said
the PSGH was currently collaborating with the Pharmacy Council for
accreditation of various online continuing Professional Development platforms
for pharmacists that would allow pharmacists in remote areas to undertake CPDs
without travelling to the regional capitals.
GNA
