The Rector of the Ghana College of Pharmacists (GCP), Dr Yvonne Yirenkyi Esseku, has appealed to the government and key stakeholders to urgently support the College in addressing structural and staffing challenges that threaten its survival.She made the call at the 2025 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the College in Accra last Friday, held under the theme "The Role of the Specialist Pharmacist in the Delivery of Health Targets for the Nation."According to Dr Esseku, the College was facing an acute accommodation crisis as its lease on rented premises expires in November this year."By the end of October, we risk being stranded unless urgent support is secured to acquire office accommodation and a training centre," she warned, stressing that without a permanent place, the College's ability to carry out training and research programmes would be severely undermined.She further expressed concern over the College's inadequate staff strength, which she described as a heavy burden on the few available workers."We do not have the full complement of staff needed to deliver on our mandate.
The few we have work tirelessly, often stretching beyond their limits," she said.Despite these challenges, Dr Esseku highlighted remarkable progress made by the College over the past year.She disclosed that more than 250 pharmacists had successfully completed short courses in Medication Therapy Management, Handling of Chemotherapy Medications, and Clinical Breast Screening.
Programmes she explained, were registrable with the Pharmacy Council of Ghana and contributed directly to improving patient safety and healthcare delivery.The President of the College, Kwadwo Nsiah Nyoagbe, in his address, noted that the AGM provided an opportunity for frank discussions on the College's progress, challenges and the way forward.He observed that the College had over the years, made significant contributions to specialist training, which had positively impacted healthcare delivery across the country.Mr Nyoagbe however, underscored persistent challenges confronting the College, such as inadequate infrastructure, limited training resources and insufficient funding for research and professional development.He cautioned that unless these were addressed, the College risked being hindered in its mandate to produce world-class specialist pharmacists.He further stressed the need for stronger collaborations with both local and international partners to broaden training opportunities and enhance practice.He explained that pharmacy practice must continuously evolve to meet emerging challenges such as antimicrobial resistance, non-communicable diseases and the growing demand for clinical pharmacy services.Thematic Speaker at the event, Prof.
Christian Agyare, Provost of the College of Health Sciences at KNUST, stressed that Ghana's ability to achieve its national health targets depended significantly on the deployment of specialist pharmacists across the health sector.
