The current shortage of morphine in the country’s hospitals has affected treatment given to majority of cancer and AIDS patients, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Hanna Tetteh has revealed.

“Ghana, as many other countries in sub-Saharan Africa, is also concerned about inadequate opioid access for palliative care. It is estimated that nearly 90% of cancer and AIDS patients in Ghana cannot be treated adequately on the current level of morphine supply,” she stated.

The minister revealed the situation with the pain-relieving drug during a speech at the Special Session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on the World Drug Problem held at the UN headquarters in New York, Wednesday 20 April 2016.

Addressing a gathering of leaders from different countries across the globe, Ms Tetteh called on “member-states of the UN and civil society organisations to partner with us to integrate effective pain relief and palliative care into public health systems” in order to ensure access to controlled drugs for medical and scientific purposes while preventing diversion.

The minister also said Ghana is gradually shifting from criminalisation of drug abuse to offering assistance to addicts to kick the habit.

“The Government of Ghana is committed to ensuring that people, who are dependent on drugs, should be subjected to the public health system and not to the criminal justice system,” she stated.