The immediate past President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana (PSGH), Dr. (Pharm) Samuel Kow Donkoh, has issued a strong call on the government to urgently recruit pharmacists into the public health system, warning that failure to do so is undermining Ghana’s quest to deliver universal primary healthcare.
Delivering his address at the 2025 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Society at the University of Cape Coast, Dr. Donkoh revealed that out of over 4,300 early-career pharmacists currently available in Ghana, only about 1,300 are employed in the public sector, leaving thousands of health facilities without trained pharmaceutical professionals.
“This alarming gap means compromised medication management, preventable adverse drug reactions, inadequate chronic disease control, and tragically, lost lives,” he cautioned. “It is not enough to train pharmacists; we must recruit them into public service, especially in primary healthcare settings.”
The outgoing PSGH President therefore urged the President of the Republic to direct the Ministries of Health and Finance to make annual budgetary allocations for systematic recruitment, alongside competitive pay, clear career pathways, and incentives to attract pharmacists to rural and underserved areas.
As the Society prepares to mark its 90th anniversary in December, Dr. Donkoh reaffirmed PSGH’s commitment to strengthening pharmacy for primary healthcare. He urged all stakeholders, government, academia, regulators, civil society, and industry—to act decisively:
“When medicines are unavailable or misused, when pharmacists are not employed, when regulation is inadequate, primary healthcare systems fail. But when pharmacy is strengthened and supported, healthcare excellence flourishes.”
The 2025 PSGH AGM, themed “Strengthening Pharmacy for Primary Healthcare,” brought together pharmacists, policymakers, traditional leaders, regulators, and industry partners from across Ghana.