The Government and Hospital Pharmacists Association (GHOSPA) has appealed to President John Dramani Mahama, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Health to urgently grant financial clearance for 599 newly inducted pharmacists who have been awaiting posting for nearly 10 months.
According to the association, the delay in posting pharmacists for their mandatory housemanship is negatively affecting healthcare delivery across the country, while also jeopardising the professional growth of the young graduates.
GHOSPA stressed that pharmacists play a vital role in the health sector, providing clinical pharmacy services, ensuring medication safety, counselling patients on drug use, and leading efforts against antimicrobial resistance. The association warned that the absence of this critical workforce is worsening the workload on existing staff and compromising patient care.
“It is important to stress that pharmacists have not been recruited into the Public Service for the past five years. This prolonged recruitment freeze has left a glaring gap in the health workforce, undermining the continuity of pharmaceutical care at the primary and secondary levels of healthcare delivery,” the statement noted.
The association cited Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital as an example, where only 11 pharmacists are currently employed, compared to the 35 required under the Ministry of Health’s staffing norms, leaving a deficit of 24.
GHOSPA further highlighted the personal toll on the affected pharmacists, including career stagnation, financial hardship, and the risk of brain drain, as many may be forced to seek opportunities abroad.
The association urged the government to treat the deployment of the pharmacists as a critical investment in national health security rather than a financial burden.
It, therefore, called for immediate clearance and posting of the 599 pharmacists, and the establishment of a sustainable system to prevent similar delays in the future.
“Our health system is in dire need of their expertise. Our young professionals are in dire need of the opportunity to serve. We call on the government to act now to secure both the future of these pharmacists and the health of the nation,” GHOSPA stated.
Click here to read the full statement by GHOSPA
…..
Explore the world of impactful news with CitiNewsroom on WhatsApp!
Click on the link to join the Citi Newsroom channel for curated, meaningful stories tailored just for YOU:
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaCYzPRAYlUPudDDe53x
No spam, just the stories that truly matter! #StayInformed #CitiNewsroom #CNRDigital
