Central Region pharmacy Council appeals for more pharmacists

Cape Coast, June 26, GNA - Mr Kwesi Appiah- Baffour, Central Regional Officer of the Pharmacy Council has appealed to the government to post more pharmacists to the region to ensure effective monitoring of pharmacy shops.

According to him the two officers in the region cannot monitor all the 30 pharmacy shops and 800 chemical sellers dotted around. Mr Appiah-Baffour, who made this known in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Cape Coast at the weekend said as a regulatory body that monitored the operations of chemical shops and enforcement of the law, more hands were needed to make them operate effectively.

He said Acts 489, 1994 mandated the council to open district offices in the region to prevent prospective sellers from travelling far away to renew their licenses.

"Presently we are operating only in Cape Coast, compelling shop owners and people from Dunkwa on Offin, Twifo Praso Diaso, Assin Fosu, Breman Asikuma, Kasoa and Agona Swedru to travel long distances to either re-new their licenses or apply for the licence to operate," he said.

He therefore recommended the opening of districts offices in those areas to reverse the situation.

Mr Appiah-Baffour said the council has temporary suspended the opening of new chemical shops in the urban areas because of numerous ones concentrated in the rural areas.

The Regional Officer urged chemical sellers to follow the lay down rules and regulations governing the distributions and dispensing of drugs to avoid punishment.