By Gna 42am Myjoyonline NSS
The Community Practice Pharmacists Association (CPPA) has officially endorsed the Early Career Pharmaceutical Group’s (ECPG) #HirePharmacistsNow campaign, calling on the government to urgently address pharmacist shortages in the public health sector.
In a statement signed by Dr. Emmanuel Kwaku Ireland, CPPA Chairman, the Association said Ghana鈥檚 failure to recruit public sector pharmacists for the past five years has severely impacted primary healthcare, particularly in rural and underserved areas.
With over 4,300 early-career pharmacists available for service, only 1,300 are currently employed across more than 10,000 health facilities, the CPPA noted.
鈥淭his chronic under鈥恟esourcing hinders medication safety, chronic鈥恉isease care, and patient outcomes,鈥 the statement read.
The Association observed that the shortage has led patients to increasingly rely on informal and unregulated drug outlets, exacerbating health risks.
鈥淓ach empty post represents a missed opportunity to reinforce primary care, prevent medication errors, and combat antimicrobial resistance.
鈥淥ur pharmacists are trained, credentialed, and ready, but the system leaves them idle while communities suffer,鈥 it said.
CPPA advocated for the immediate recruitment of at least 500 pharmacists to improve health outcomes and ease pressure on overstretched practitioners.
鈥淒oing so would strengthen universal health coverage, shore up the national pharmaceutical services, and build resilience against the growing burden of non鈥恈ommunicable diseases,鈥 it said.
The Association also emphasised equitable deployment to rural and peri鈥恥rban communities most in need.
The endorsement follows ECPG鈥檚 participation in a CDD-Ghana capacity-building programme on civic and health policy engagement, and the subsequent launch of the #HirePharmacistsNow campaign鈥攁 national advocacy effort across digital, traditional media, and stakeholder platforms.
鈥淥ur request is simple and urgent: fill the posts. Strengthen our system. Protect our people. #HirePharmacistsNow,鈥 the CPPA said.