Tamale, Aug. 30, GNA - A total of seventy Medicine counter assistants (MCAs) on Friday graduated from the Chamalt Training Institute after having sat and passed the Ghana Pharmacy Council's (GPCs) MCAs examination.

The MCAs, formally referred to as pharmacy assistants, were drawn from the Northern sector of the country and undertook six months training to equip them with skills to enhance comprehensive pharmaceutical service delivery in the country.

Addressing the grandaunts, Mr Emmanuel Opoku-Adeji, Head of Education and Training of the GPC, said currently 16 MCA institutions had been accredited and issued with accreditation certificates valid for a period of three years to train MCAs across the country.

He said the accreditation was renewable after every three years upon strict compliance to agreed standards and protocols, adding that so far 10 institutions had been accredited in the Greater Accra Region with one each in the Ashanti, Western, Volta, Central and Northern regions.

He said so far 2,855 MCAs had been trained by these institutions and had received their certificates.

He said it was mandatory for all personnel who worked in pharmacies and related facilities to undergo some form of training, the minimum being an MCA certificate and therefore implored all pharmacies to either secure the services of people who had gone through the training or ensure that employees who had not received such training were encouraged to avail themselves of it.

Mr Opoku-Adjei also appealed to pharmacy educators to consider establishing MCA training institutions in the Upper East, Upper West and Brong Ahafo Regions to provide more opportunities for the training of MCAs.

He cautioned the grandaunts against assuming the role of the pharmacist and told them to limit themselves to their job description, while also bearing in mind that "Medicine is not a mere commodity to be toyed with".

He told the MCAs that their knowledge in handling medicines was very limited and as such they should always consult their superintendent pharmacist before issuing out any medicines.

Mr Anthony Amalba, Managing Director of Chamalt Pharmacy, said the first batch of MCAs were 46 students out of whom 33 students representing 71.7 per cent, passed the external examination organised by the Pharmacy Council.

He said a subsequent 28 students who enrolled for the programme all passed the examination, adding that they were currently awaiting the results of the third batch of 47 students who wrote the examination in June this year.

He said the fourth batch of 54 students were currently undergoing their practical training at various facilities in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions and would be writing their final examination in November 2010.

Mr Amalba, however, complained about delays in the release of results by the Pharmacy Council which, he said, placed a lot of pressure on the training institutions. He also appealed for the absorption of the MCAs into the formal sector.