We are worried patients can’t access drugs - Pharmacists

President of Government and Hospital Pharmacists Association (GHOSPA) Agyeman Badu, has stated that they cannot call off their strike even though precious lives are being lost due to their unending strike.

Pharmacists across the country have been in a banter with government over its refusal to resolve their interim market premium.

Patients are unable to access drugs and others have been dying since they laid down their tools some weeks ago.

Speaking on Abusua FM’s Abusua Nkommo hosted by Kwame Adinkrah, Mr. Badu explained that though people are dying due to their absence, their hands are tied and cannot help matters until their concerns are solved.

He added that all efforts to push government to work on their concerns have proven futile.

‘It’s disturbing that we are still on strike, like we always say the target of our strike is not targeted at patients, but unfortunately, government has refused to work on our concerns.

It’s almost a month since we started this strike, we have been negotiating with Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, and representatives from Ministry of Health, Fair Wages and Salaries Commission on our interim market premium, the Minister of health has refused to write a letter to that effect.

Our members are also demanding that we resolve their concerns before we leaders can think of calling off the strike. Our demands have not been met, so it’s difficult to resume work, we are not happy that people are dying but people should also understand that we have been battling this issue for six years now. What at all is preventing government from heeding to our demands by bringing a closure to the issue,‘ he asked.

President of Government Hospitals Pharmacists Association apologised to the public to forgive them for burdening them due to their strike, blaming government for the cause.

He expressed worry that the Ministry of Health has employed Counter assistants to issue drugs to patients, saying ministry is only endangering the lives of Ghanaians by going on that tangent.

‘We know our worth and contribution to the health system. We are calling on the public to speak on our behalf, an occurring event is there has been a directive that medical superintendents should open the pharmacies for medicine counter assistants to dispense drugs, they shouldn’t forget that drugs are not articles of commerce, the ministry of health is endangering the lives of Ghanaians, we have reports of people given wrong medication, ’ he said.