Health facilities accused of misapplication of Drug Fund

Kumasi, June 13, GNA - Mr James Ohemeng Kyei, Director of Pharmaceutical Services of the Ghana Health Services (GHS), has accused health facilities of misapplying the Revolving Drug Fund. The Fund, which is meant for the procurement of essential medicines

Kumasi, June 13, GNA - Mr James Ohemeng Kyei, Director of Pharmaceutical Services of the Ghana Health Services (GHS), has accused health facilities of misapplying the Revolving Drug Fund. The Fund, which is meant for the procurement of essential medicines and pharmaceutical-related expenditure items, he said, was rather being dissipated on annual get-togethers, performance review meetings, printing of materials, budgeting and validation. Mr Kyei, a Chief Pharmacist, cited the Ashanti Regional Health Directorate, which blew a total of GH¢347,018.26 through such activitie s. He said this when he addressed the closing session of a pharmacy sub-sector senior managers' meeting and scientific seminar at Oduom in Kumasi on Saturday. The theme of the meeting was: "Practising pharmacy differently towa rds achievement of the health-related of the Millennium Development Goals". Mr Kyei said a report submitted by the Regional Monitoring and Technical Support Team of the GHS to his outfit showed that misapplicatio n of the fund occurred at the Budget Management Centres, where pharmacists were not allowed to be part of the signatories to the fund's account. He said this contradicted the law because pharmacists are mandated to be signatories to the account at all levels of health care. Mr Kyei, therefore, asked them to insist that the right thing was d one to curb the misuse of the fund. 13 June 10