The critical roles of pharmacists

Pharmacists are healthcare team members with expert knowledge on the therapeutic use, management and manufacturing of medications. Broadly, the training, knowledge and skill acquisitioning process of a pharmacist involves four key steps: 

1) A senior high school education in science. 

2) Four to six years of university education from an accredited university. 

3) Successful completion of a one-year internship and a professional qualifying examination administered by a regulatory body. 

4) Continuous professional development.  

     In Ghana, not many are familiar with the roles of the pharmacist and the processes involved in their training owing to a confluence of factors. The dismal pharmacist-to-patient ratio of the country for a long while had not done justice to improve public accessibility to the services of pharmacists. This in turn can be traced to the fact that pharmacist training in Ghana historically had been the preserve of only the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), until in recent years when the Universities of Ghana and Central University joined the crusade to improve the country’s pharmacy workforce per capita. 

Amidst the poor pharmacist per capita, the country’s legislators some decades ago rolled out a concept—licensed chemical sellers (LCS)--to improve access to medications, particularly, over-the-counter medications in order to address the pharmaceutical needs of the populace. The rapid explosion of the LCS across the country mainly made up of persons with minimal formal education, coupled with the colossally poor regulation of their activities by the Pharmacy Council, the regulator of standards of pharmaceutical service delivery, allowed them to become the main face of pharmaceutical service providers in Ghana. There remains in principle, a distinction between over-the-counter medicine outlets (previously referred to chemical sellers) and pharmacies: While pharmacies are manned by pharmacists and legally allowed to stock all classes of medicines, the “chemical sellers” are only restricted to deal in medicines which don’t require doctors’ prescription. 

It is also worth noting that not all persons working in a pharmacy outlet are pharmacists. Poor means of identification system in pharmacies, particularly in Ghana’s context have resulted in a situation which has become increasingly difficult for the public to separate pharmacists from other ancillary pharmacy staff (pharmacy technicians, pharmacy assistants).

In spite of efforts to ramp up the number of pharmacists in the country, with the expansion of sites of pharmacy education  and increased production of pharmacy graduates recently, much effort is still required to bring some improvement into the country’s pharmacist per capita.

 Indeed, while the  World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends a pharmacist-to-patient ratio of 1:2000, Ghana’s poor pharmacist-to-patient standing of  1:13,000 is a deep cause for concern. This dismal overview highlights the extent to which Ghana is missing out on the expertise of pharmacists in the development, distribution and responsible use of medicines.  

In attempting to define and bring into light the value of pharmacists in the healthcare system, the  WHO notes that “with the development of specific and potent synthetic drugs, the emphasis of the pharmacist’s responsibility has moved substantially towards the utilisation of scientific knowledge in the proper use of modern medicines and the protection of the public against dangers that are inherent in their use.” This summary definition of what pharmacists do indeed refutes the average Ghanaian’s superficial knowledge of the pharmacist’s roles which is almost invariably confined to the mechanical buying and selling of medicines.  

Pharmacists play invaluable roles in different shades and practice settings, underscoring the broader scope of their practice. They are employed in regulatory control and drug management, community pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, the pharmaceutical industry, academic activities, training of other health workers and research.

 “In all these fields, their aim is to ensure optimum drug therapy, both by contributing to the preparation, supply and control of medicines and associated products and by providing information and advice to those who prescribe or use pharmaceutical products,” according to the WHO. 

In hospital practice, the pharmacist is a patient-care team player who provids critical cognitive services that goes beyond the mere act of reading prescriptions and serving medications. His/her services are tailored to help get patients well through a range of care: monitoring patient and progress to maximise their response to the medication; advise physicians, nurses and other health professionals on drug decisions. 

Also, in the hospital settings, pharmacists bring to the table a unique art and skill of preparing personalised medications for patients. 

Certainly, pharmacists are key care providers in the healthcare system and they are the group of professionals who owe responsibility and accountability to the pharmaceutical-related needs of health care consumers. They fill many roles in the value chain of health care—particularly when it has to do with pharmaceutical services provision. 

The writer is a member of the  Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana (PSGh). E-mail: editor@psgh.org