Pharmacy Council warns illegal shop operators of prosecution
The Greater Accra Regional Office of the Pharmacy Council has resolved to prosecute persons found to be illegally possessing the council's operating licence.
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It followed the discovery of a licence purported to have been issued by the council to a retired nurse, Madam Florence Foli, at Klagon, near Tema.
Madam Foli, according to officials of the council, had defied warnings not to operate the facility since it was not licensed.
The purported licence is typewritten on an A4 paper, put in a wooden frame and bears the signature of someone named Raymond Sorgborzor, purporting to be the acting regional officer of the council.
The Pharmacy Council said the licence was fake and that there was no individual responding to that name who worked with the council.
Madam Foli claimed to have paid GH¢1,500 to another man named Michael Okai who was the ‘Regional Site Officer’ for the council, claiming further that he conducted a site inspection of her premises after they had agreed on a fee of GH¢3,000, of which she made the deposit of GH¢1,500.
Council’s reaction
The Greater Accra Regional Manager of the council, Mr Micahel Kudebong, expressed shock at the claims by Madam Foli, discounted the claims and said no such persons worked with the council.
He said Madam Foli did not heed the advice of the Pharmacy Council when it was discovered that she was opening the facility without having acquired the appropriate permit.
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"Our officers visited the facility when it was being opened and informed her of our guidelines and the need for her to first obtain an operating licence before opening the facility," Mr Kudebong said.
Drugs confiscated
The council has since confiscated drugs estimated at over GH¢10,000 from Madam Foli’s pharmacy shop since it could not guarantee the safety of the drugs.
"We cannot assure [the public] of the owner's capability to manage a pharmacy since she has not undergone any training by the council", Mr Kudebong told the Daily Graphic after the facility had been closed down.
According to Mr Kudebong there were guidelines one had to follow in registering pharmacy and chemical shops.
The council, he explained, did not deal with agents, owing to the sensitive nature of its operations.
Before operators are given permits to operate, they are taken through pre-licensing and post licensing training to ensure they have the capacity to effectively operate without endangering the lives of the general public.
The council's licences, Mr Kudebong said, came with security features which could not be duplicated.
"How can a typewritten document on an A4-paper be accepted as a permit from the [Pharmacy] Council ?” he queried.
Mr Kudebong wondered why people could fall prey to fraudsters when charges for the proper registration processes at the council and the charges did not exceed GH¢700.
He warned that the council would deal with individuals and entities that would be found to be perpetuating illegalities in the name of the Pharmacy Council.