Registrar of the Pharmacy Council, Pharm. Michael Kudebong, ESQ.

At the launch of the 90th anniversary of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana (PSGH), the Registrar of the Pharmacy Council of Ghana, Pharm Michael Kudebong, Esq. delivered a speech that was as much a celebration as it was a stark warning: Ghana’s pharmacy sector risks undermining public trust if urgent gaps are not addressed.

Speaking under the theme “Pharmacy at the Doorstep: Touching Lives and Bridging Gaps,” the Registrar challenged the profession to confront an uncomfortable truth: not every pharmaceutical intervention in Ghana has healed; some have harmed.

It was meant to be a celebration; ninety years of resilience, growth, and service by the PSGH. But as the Registrar of the Pharmacy Council of Ghana rose to speak at the anniversary launch in Akropong-Akuapem, the mood subtly shifted. This would not be a ceremonial speech filled with safe praise and nostalgia. Instead, it became a moment of reckoning.

Standing on what he described as “ancestral pharmaceutical ground,” the Registrar traced the journey of pharmacy practice in Ghana from the humble medicine chests of Basel missionaries in the 1830s to today’s era of biologics and advanced clinical care. It was a story of endurance and evolution, of a profession that had survived colonial rule, independence, and decades of healthcare transformation. Yet, even as he honoured this legacy, he posed a question that lingered in the air: after 90 years, has pharmacy truly reached the doorstep of every Ghanaian?

The answer, he suggested, is complicated.

Yes, pharmacists have touched countless lives. In hospitals, community pharmacies, and pharmaceutical factories, their impact is undeniable. A child breathes easier because a pharmacist explained how to use an inhaler. A surgical patient survives because a locally manufactured infusion met the highest standards. An elderly man avoids a life-threatening drug interaction because someone took the time to review his medications. These are the quiet victories of a profession that rarely makes headlines but constantly shapes outcomes.

But then came the turn.

With unusual candour, the Registrar challenged the audience to confront an uncomfortable truth: not every touch has been a healing one. In some cases, the profession has failed the very people it is meant to serve. Medicines are sometimes stocked based on profit rather than patient need. Antibiotics are dispensed for conditions that do not require them. Pharmacies operate without the presence of qualified pharmacists, leaving critical decisions in untrained hands. In those moments, he warned, “a pharmacy at the doorstep” ceases to be a symbol of access and becomes something far more dangerous.

The silence that followed was telling.

What made the message even more striking was its refusal to shift blame outward. This was not a critique of policy alone, or of government, or of external pressures. It was a call for introspection within the profession itself. A mature profession, the Registrar argued, does not hide behind its achievements, but examines its failures with equal honesty. And in doing so, it earns the right to lead.

Yet, the speech was not without hope. If anything, it was a roadmap disguised as a warning. The gaps, once named, became marching orders. There is a stark imbalance between urban and rural access, where pharmacists cluster in cities while entire districts remain underserved. There is the paradox of unemployment among pharmacists alongside unmet healthcare needs. There is the heavy reliance on imported medicines, which continues to undermine Ghana’s manufacturing potential. And there is the absence of a coordinated system to measure and communicate the true impact of pharmaceutical care nationwide.

Each of these challenges, he suggested, is solvable with deliberate action.

The vision for the future is both ambitious and practical. Community pharmacies must evolve into recognized primary healthcare entry points, not just retail outlets. Pharmacists must be deployed strategically to underserved areas, ensuring that access is not determined by geography or income. Local pharmaceutical manufacturing must be strengthened, moving Ghana closer to medicine independence. And above all, accountability must be enforced, so that standards are not merely written but lived.

Underlying these proposals was a deeper, almost philosophical appeal. The future of pharmacy, the Registrar implied, will not be secured by legislation alone. It will depend on the everyday choices of pharmacists, the decision to prioritize patient welfare over profit, to remain present and engaged, to uphold the trust symbolized by the white coat. Legality, he cautioned, is not the same as morality.

By the time the speech drew to a close, the initial celebratory tone had transformed into something more profound collective awareness that the next chapter of the profession will be defined not by its history, but by its willingness to change.

As the PSGH marks ninety years of organized pharmacy practice, the message was clear: the milestone is not a destination, but a mirror. It reflects both how far the profession has come and how far it still has to go. The promise of “pharmacy at the doorstep” remains powerful, but it is not yet fully realized.

And until it is, the question will remain quiet, persistent, and impossible to ignore: is the doorstep a place of healing, or a place of risk?

The answer, as the Registrar made unmistakably clear, lies in what pharmacists choose to do next.

Read the full speech here: Registrar’s full speech