Volta Regional Minister, Dr. Archibald Yao Letsa has suggested to Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana (PSGH) to hold its annual general meeting (AGM) in the region every 3 years.
The Minister said this on Wednesday, August 1, 2018 at Ho Technical University while welcoming members of PSGH to the Volta Regional Capital, Ho for its ongoing 83rd AGM and the first ever to be held in the region.
According to him, Ho Municipality has benefitted a great deal from the conference especially in respect to hotel accommodation, saying all the hotels in the municipality were full.
He spoke highly of the region and asked that residents are always ready to host them every 3 years.
Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia who represented President Akufo-Addo as the Guest of Honour for the occasion, underscored the importance of pharmacists in healthcare delivery in the country.
He therefore called on the Society to ensure there are pharmacists in all pharmacies across the country at all times to better serve people who patronise pharmacies. He also asked that the council considers having pharmacists in wards of hospitals aside pharmacists to help provide quality healthcare to patients.
He disclosed government will do its part to introduce drone service this year to reach out to people in critical conditions to reduce number of death that result from untimely delivery of drugs and essential medicines.
Dr. Bawumia enumerated government interventions in the pharmaceutical sector such as exempting selected imported pharmaceutical products from Value Added Tax (VAT), exempting VAT on expanded list of raw materials for the local industry and extending additional funding to some local pharmaceutical companies to build new plants to meet international quality standards.
He assured of government’s plans to promote the country’s pharmaceutical industry within the sub-region, earmarking a zone for an industrial park and collaborating with relevant financial institutions to get funds for the local industry to be internationally competitive and produce at least 60 percent of medicines needed locally.
President of PSGH, Pharm. Benjamin K. Botwe commended President Akufo- Addo for appointing pharmacists to high places in his administration and removing VAT on selected imported products.
He expressed concern that pharmacists are under-utilised in Ghana and called on government to consider them partners because just as government plans of 1 District-1 Factory, PSGH also has a model pharmacy project, I District -1 Pharmacy.
Prof. Anthony Wutoh of Howard University who spoke on the theme, “Building Capacity to Lead Change in Healthcare” enumerated ways that pharmacists could build on their capacity to discover new ways in providing pharmaceutical services to the human race.
By: Ewoenam Kpodo/voltaonlinegh.com