Accra, Ghana – May 23, 2025

The Early Career Pharmaceutical Group (ECPG) has taken a bold step forward in healthcare advocacy with its successful participation in a high-impact training session organized by the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) on Friday, May 23rd, 2025.

The training, tailored to build the capacity of young professionals in advocacy and civic engagement, provided ECPG members with essential skills to influence policy, engage decision-makers, and promote healthcare reforms. Attendees were inspired by powerful presentations from renowned policy and public health advocates at the CDD-Ghana, including Dr. Kojo Asante, (Director of Advocacy & Policy Engagement), Madam Vera Abena Addo (Program Officer), and Pharm. Kwame Sarpong, PhD (a D&D Fellow in Public Health). Their insights highlighted the urgency and responsibility of youth leadership in shaping Ghana’s healthcare future.

#HirePharmacistsNow Campaign

Following this training, the ECPG is set to launch #HirePharmacistsNow social media advocacy campaign — a nationwide movement calling for the immediate recruitment of at least 500 pharmacists into the public health system.

“We’ve had zero pharmacist recruitment into the public sector since 2020, while thousands of trained professionals remain unemployed,” said the ECPG Chairperson, Pharm. Reginald Sekyi-Brown. “This is not just a workforce issue; it’s a patient safety crisis.”

According to ECPG’s campaign toolkit, Ghana’s public healthcare system currently operates with only ~1,300 pharmacists across over 10,000 health facilities, leaving many rural areas completely underserved. Some regions, such as Ahafo, Oti, and the North-East, have fewer than 15 pharmacists in total.

The #HirePharmacistsNow campaign will focus on:

  • Public education through engaging social media content and storytelling
  • Media appearances and influencer partnerships
  • Direct advocacy to policymakers, including the Ministry of Health and Parliament
  • Mobilizing pharmacists and the public to share personal stories on medication errors, staffing shortages, and preventable health outcomes

The campaign will also highlight how the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) could significantly improve in efficiency and patient outcomes if pharmaceutical care is prioritized — citing increased chronic disease burdens, medication errors, and drug stockouts as symptoms of a broken system with too few pharmacists.

With this campaign, ECPG aims to transform the energy from the advocacy training into lasting national impact, giving voice to young pharmacists and demanding action where it matters most — at the policy table.