In a statement signed by its President, Pharm. Paul Owusu Donkor, the Society warned that AMR caused when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites evolved to withstand available medicines, posed a major threat to modern healthcare.

The consequences, it said, included prolonged illness, disability, higher medical costs, and increased deaths.

PSGH noted that essential medical procedures such as surgeries, cancer treatments, childbirth and chronic disease management could become significantly riskier if resistance continued to rise.

The Society said pharmacists nationwide remained committed to antimicrobial stewardship, public education, and supporting health facilities to ensure safe and effective use of antibiotics.
It highlighted its role in spearheading Ghana’s participation in the Commonwealth Partnership for Antimicrobial Stewardship (CwPAMS), which had trained numerous AMR stewards and strengthened AMS systems across the country.

“As medicine experts, pharmacists will continue to champion responsible antibiotic use and provide reliable guidance to the public,” the statement said.
PSGH urged government agencies, regulators, and health facilities to strictly enforce existing laws and guidelines governing the use of antimicrobials.

It called for antimicrobial stewardship programmes to be implemented in all health facilities, with leadership taking full responsibility for ensuring compliance.

The Society also emphasised the need for stronger enforcement in the veterinary and agriculture sectors, where misuse of antibiotics in animals contributed significantly to resistance affecting humans.

To reduce misuse, the PSGH encouraged the public to seek professional health advice before taking any medicine, especially antibiotics, and warned that overuse and self-medication accelerated resistance.

Other recommendations included regular handwashing, vaccination, safe sex, proper food hygiene, reducing close contact when ill, and improved sanitation, measures the Society said are crucial for preventing infections and slowing resistance.

The Society stressed that reversing the AMR crisis would require a whole-of-society effort, reminding Ghanaians that resistant infections affected people of all ages and were already leading to longer hospital stays and higher medical costs.