Mrs Gifty Naa Ayele Mensah, the Deputy Minister of Health, has urged members of the Pharmaceutical Society Of Ghana (PSGH) to take steps to harness the strength and knowledge of Pharmacists to digitalise the Pharmaceutical industry.
She said such digital transformation for patients would come from parallel development from both public and private healthcare providers.
This has the potential to lay the foundation for further deliberations on separation of services, and the community pharmacies role in public health provision, the contribution to a reduction of non-communicable diseases and immunization.
She made this statement at the Pharmaceuticals Society of Ghana’s Annual General Meeting held in Accra on Wednesday, on the theme "Pharmacy in a digital world".
Mrs Mensah said the timing was right and not only for the Pharmaceutical Industry to go digital, but healthcare delivery in general because Pharmacists, pharmacy practice, and pharmacy businesses cannot be decoupled from the overall healthcare delivery of the country.
She assured Government Hospital Pharmacists Association (GHOSPA) that the Ministry was giving the needed attention to their challenges and current engagements with the National Labour Commission and Fair Wages and Salary Commission.
"I am aware of some of the few challenges new pharm D graduates are going through but I am also aware that your individual institutions and your leadership are working with us to resolve them. Let’s all continue to engage to ensure the advancement of pharmacy and mother Ghana," she said.
Mr Benjamin Kwame Botwe, President PSGH, said that the advent of the internet and technology in many fields including healthcare, pharmacy and other professions had advanced and critical thinking was needed to remain relevant whilst building upon a strong scientific foundation in the discovery, development, mechanism of action and use of medicines for best outcomes.
He said the Pharmacy profession in Ghana had taken advantage of the internet and technology to enhance professional development, adding that currently, the Pharmacy Council had accredited four online Continuing Professional Development (CPD) providers who would mount online CPD platforms for pharmacists.
He said this initiative would assist professionals who did not have the resources and time to travel from distant communities to take their trainings at their various communities.
"The full complement of working drawings for the Pharmacy Centre project is ready and it includes use of technology for hosting conferences in the modern world. We are currently pursuing the acquisition of the various permits as well as financing options for the project since the […]