College of Pharmacists charged to facilitate specialist training
The Minister of Health, Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, has charged the reconstituted governing board of the Ghana College of Pharmacists to facilitate specialist training in the sector to boost a national vaccine production drive.
He said that had become necessary as effort was being made to establish a vaccine institute and vaccine manufacturing plant in the country.
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The minister gave the charge when he inaugurated an 11-member board, chaired by the Paramount Chief of the Akwamu Traditional Area, Odeneho Kwafo Akoto III, in Accra yesterday.
Other members are the Rector of the college, Ms Yvonne Yirenkyiwaa Esseku; the President of the college, Mr Joseph Kodjo Nsiah Nyoagbe; the Director of Policy, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation of the MOH, Dr Emmanuel Ankrah Odame, and the President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana, Mr Samuel Kow Donkoh.
The rest are Reverend Professor Isaac Julius Asiedu-Gyekye, Dr Audu Rauf,Mrs Marina Annobea Appiah Opare, Dr Samuel Amoabeng Kontoh, Dr Daniel Amaning Danquah and Dr Joseph Kimos Adjei. Mr Agyeman-Manu said promoting specialist training in drug safety would help improve on patient care in the country.
“We definitely need specialists with the advent of vaccine development and production in the country. Not only that, there are now a few more manufacturing plants coming on board; we will soon have anti-snake venom produced in the country. Tailor training “I believe that you will begin to tailor your training of pharmacists towards the new national pathway we are charting. So that when it comes to human resource, we would have no need to import the required skill,” he added.
According to Mr Agyeman-Manu, the country now has enough COVID19 vaccines in stock and had, therefore, begun rejecting offers that were near expiring.
“We hope to increase vaccination target to about 75 per cent of the population before we can ease restrictions,” he said.
The minister urged the board to work hard at bringing sanity into the noble profession to help the country achieve its universal health coverage target.
Gratitude
The chairman of the board expressed gratitude to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for the appointment.
He pledged the commitment of members to give of their best to improve patient-centred care in the country.
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