Accra, April 26, GNA - Professor Ivan Addae-Mensah, Former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, on Wednesday suggested the setting up of drug and poison information centres to educate the public about avoidable deaths associated with drug abuse.

He said many deaths occurred because manufacturers and distributors failed to warn consumers of drugs that had been withdrawn or banned from the market.

Prof. Addae-Mensah, an Organic Chemist, who made the suggestion at the induction of 99 newly qualified pharmacists in Accra, said inspectors and regulators had not been very vigilant to control the situation.

He noted that there were many instances when drugs had been withdrawn and suspended by inventors or regulatory authority of the country of innovation due its risks without the notice of health authorities.

He charged the Pharmacy Council to as a matter of urgency institute measures to set up the information centre and to use the services of selected community pharmacies on rotational basis and the mobile phone service providers to sponsor free hotlines for people to offer information.

Prof Addae-Mensah stressed the need to include pharmacy professionals and other experts in drug development and quality assurance to avoid the problem of manufacturing drugs and later withdrawing them.

"As pharmacy inspectors and drug regulators, your vigilance will cover the manufacturer and distributor of raw materials including active pharmaceutical ingredients; the manufacturer of finished products, the standards of quality assurance facilities, compliance with standard operating procedures; efficiency of the manufacturers, the distribution channels and their compliance with all aspects of good distribution practices".

He said it was the duty of pharmacists to draw the attention of health authorities to problems when they came across one but could be done effectively if they were abreast with developments in the profession.

"That is why continuous education and being abreast with literature are absolutely essential in your profession. Document your own practice experience, study other people's practice experience as way of improving yourself", he said.

The induction, which was under the theme: "Speak and Practice with Professional Authority", saw three students, who distinguished themselves receiving special awards.

Richmond Soga Lebene won the John Ocran Award for being the overall best candidate in the 2005 Ghana Pharmacy Professional Qualifying Examination. He took home a certificate and a cash prize of six million cedis.

Ama Sakoa Wonkyi-Appiah won the Pharmacy Practice Award for being the second best candidate and took home a certificate and a cash prize of three million cedis.

Geraldine Adwoa Buanya-Mensah also won the Pharmacy Law and Ethics Award for being the third best student during the examination and also took home a certificate of honour and a cash prize of two million cedis. The inductees smartly dressed in colourful suits and traditional attires, were accompanied by their family members and friends, who cheered them up.

Mr Samuel Owusu-Agyei, Deputy Minister of Health, said the country needed a healthy human resource base for development and urged Ghanaians to cultivate the habit of exercising the body and eating healthy diet. This, he said, would help to reduce the drug budget of 250 million dollars annually by both the private sector and the Ministry of Health. He said the Government was putting measures in place to improve the conditions of service for health workers and control the mass exodus of health professionals to other countries in search for greener pastures.

Mr Harrison Kofi Abutiate, Chairman of the Pharmacy of Council, said the Council had identified gaps in the current Barchelor of Pharmacy Degree programme and had decided to introduce the Doctor of Pharmacy Programme.

This, he said, was due to the changes in the socio-political and economic environment, the emerging and changing roles of pharmacists from product oriented to consumer centred practice coupled with the emergence of new diseases associated with drug therapy.

He urged pharmacists to protect the integrity of the profession and adding; "Council will not hesitate to sanction pharmacists, private clinics, mission hospitals, pharmacy proprietors and chemical sellers, who indulge in any unprofessional and unethical practices". Mr Abutiate abhorred the unethical advertising, false claims and sale of medicines in the media and at lorry parks and noted that the Council would collaborate with the Food and Drugs Board to check fake medicines and illicit drugs in system.

He said the Council would advocate for the local production of quality national strategic medicines both orthodox and herbal "so that Ghana can be assured of regular quality and reliable supply of important medicines from accredited pharmaceutical manufacturing plants in the country".

He commended the Government for the assistance with a new regional administrative block, which the Council would develop into a centre of excellence to train staff from Ghana and other Africa countries. Mr Joseph Nsiah Nyoagbe, Acting Registrar of the Council, advised the pharmacists to be courageous, patient and to do things right as they faced countless, local and ethical dilemmas.

"When things are rotten, there will always be incentives to reward mute compliance and there will always be intellectual capacity to make it seem that the responsibility lies elsewhere and think of what a big change you can make to do the right thing," he said. 26 April 06