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The President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana (PSGH), Dr Paul Owusu Donkor, has called for stronger collaboration among stakeholders in the health ecosystem to ensure effective healthcare delivery.
He said the healthcare ecosystem is complex and interconnected, and any missing link could disrupt the delivery of primary health services.
Again, he stressed that while various health professionals played unique roles, their services were linked to the ultimate goal of safeguarding the health of every Ghanaian.
"Let us stop the infighting and work collaboratively to safeguard the health of every Ghanaian," he stressed.
He made the call at the opening of the fourth Community Pharmacy Month celebration organised by the Community Practice Pharmacists Association (CPPA) in Accra last Thursday.
The CPPA is an organisation representing pharmacists working in community practice settings in the country.
It aims to highlight the vital role of community pharmacists in health care and advocate their professional development and well-being.
The CPPA works with other organisations, including the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana (PSGH) and the Ghana College of Pharmacists, to improve the quality of pharmaceutical services and address challenges faced by the profession.
The CPPA organises events, including the Community Pharmacy Week, to raise public awareness of the role of community pharmacists as trusted healthcare providers and first points of contact for primary health care.
The co-founder and partner of Allotey and Associates, Dr John Allotey, called on community pharmacists to be more ethical and forthcoming in their communication with members of the community who needed their services.
He said that beyond knowledge in pharmacy and dispensing of drugs, effective communication was crucial to maintain a healthy relationship with patrons and give them hope of an efficient healthcare system.
"The most dangerous thing in a pharmacy is the pharmacist who does not know how to talk; and this should not be said about the community pharmacist," he stressed.
He stressed that any community pharmacist who could not communicate with patients or their team members was not a bridge but a stumbling block to enhanced service delivery.
Dr Allotey emphasised that because health literacy was not the best in the country, community pharmacists must go the extra mile to communicate well with patients.
The national Chairperson of the CPPA, Dr Therestella Obosu Tei-Kwabla, urged community pharmacists to practice with high standards to deliver quality services to people.
She said community pharmacists were the bridge between hospitals and households and needed to be knowledgeable in their art.
Subsequently, she stressed the need for them to upgrade their knowledge to remain relevant in the healthcare ecosystem.
She said the CPPA would collaborate with other stakeholders in the healthcare sector to ensure that all gaps that delayed the delivery of primary health care in the country were addressed.
