Accra, May 19, GNA - Mr Joseph Nyoagbe, Registrar of Ghana Pharmacy Council (GPC), has called on private transport operators to collaborate with the Council to fight the peddling of medicine in vehicles and lorry parks.

He said the council believed that a collaborative effort was critical if the war against quack medical practitioners as well as fake medicine peddling would be successful. Mr. Nyoagbe, who made the call at the induction of 90 registered pharmacists in Accra on Wednesday, urged transport operators to join the fight.

He said pharmacists played greater roles in adhering to procurement standards to help fight against counterfeiting, and must insist on and be involved in all medicine procurement standards. "There is a strong belief that if pharmacists can and should assert themselves professionally by insisting on standards, the greed and inordinate profit motive that blinds some pharmaceutical merchants and entrepreneurs would give way to the overriding public and national interest," he said.

Mr Nyoagbe gave the assurance that the Council would use every legitimate and legal means to weed out all corporate bodies and individuals who without due process or licence had established unauthorised facilities to sell medicines to the public. He pledged the council's determination to apply the law to the latter and would not hesitate to institute disciplinary measures or cause criminal prosecution against any pharmacists, individuals or pharmaceutical care provider who would breach the laws and regulations governing pharmacy practice.

Mr Nyoagbe said the Council would continue to ensure that standards of practice were maintained through appropriate interventions of monitoring and inspections, and improve upon its registration and licencing processes in a transparent and efficient manner. He asked the inductees to be competent, selfless and hardworking adding "as new generation pharmacists it is very important to bring out innovations into the practice which would be more relevant to the communities and patients".

"You should endeavour to leave a mark on every surface where you walk no matter the situation and continue to show competence, skills and good character to society," Mr Nyoagbe added.