Satellites pharmacies at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital are threatening to cease the dispensing of drugs to out-patients on Friday if the Minister of Health does not clarify the issue of mandatory signatory to the revolving drug account.<\/p>\n
All cheque books have been collected from the pharmacy accountant following the hospital management\u2019s decision to take over the purchasing of drugs from the pharmacists.<\/p>\n
This was made known in a letter to the Director of Pharmacy which\u00a0consequently resulted in the demonstration on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
More than 70 pharmacists of the hospital disclosed their displeasure at the new directive in a peaceful protest at the over 14 Pharmacy units of the hospital.<\/p>\n
The letter, dated June 5, 2014, indicated that per the new directive from the hospital\u2019s board, all suppliers of the Pharmacy department would be paid centrally at the Finance directorate.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy reason of this, you are to give the cheque books of all the accounts of the Pharmacy Department and the list of creditors to the Director of Finance on Monday 9 th June, for the necessary action,\u201d the letter stated directed.<\/p>\n
Raymond Tetteh, the spokesperson of the team, said that when the group received the notification from the board, a petition requesting a dialogue between the pharmacists and officials was sent to the board, only for them to realize that the board had gone ahead with its decision of taking over the payments of suppliers. This act according to the pharmacists is wrong in relation to the stores regulation act 1984 under departmental responsibilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cSupply functions may not be delegated to officers who are not members of the supply class without the prior approval of the supply and stores inspectorate, ministry of finance. Registered pharmacists may however perform supply functions where drugs and pharmaceuticals are concerned in accordance with statutory requirements without the prior approval of the supply and stores inspectorate. Such pharmacies shall perform their supply functions in strict compliance with all regulations connected with government stores.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. Tetteh stated that the Pharmacy department has been able to run this account all this while without any difficulties, \u201cbut they now want to take over the mandatory signature and spend the money without our knowledge.\u201d<\/p>\n
He noted that the account has three signatories, the Director of Pharmacy, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and the Finance Director, and \u201cnow they mean that we should work and generate funds for them so they might as well work for us and play our role as pharmacists.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stressed that the group has asked the board to meet with them over the issue as they could not generate funds for someone who little knowledge on pharmacy operations.<\/p>\n
The group had earlier accused the acting CEO; Rev Albert Botchwey, the board chairman, Eddy Annan and the entire management of the hospital of stalling activities at the pharmacies including taking over procurement of pharmaceutical products.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe come to work; we don\u2019t have medicines to supply to patients. People have supplied us with medicines we can\u2019t pay, we can\u2019t obtain medicines either,\u201d one unit head lamented.<\/p>\n
They are demanded the reason for the discrimination since all other health institutions in Ghana operate under the same policy which has been implemented across the country since 1989.<\/p>\n
They also made three demands which was to be met within 72 hours after the demonstration on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
They want the cheques which were taken from the pharmacy accountant office should be returned.<\/p>\n
They want a clarification from the Minister of Health on the issue of the mandatory signatory to the drug account.<\/p>\n
Lastly, they want the board chairman to give a copy of the \u201cso called messy audit report to study and act since management had said the earlier decision was taken as a result of a lot of wrong doing in the purchase of items.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
By: Afiba Anyanzua Anyanzu\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Satellites pharmacies at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital are threatening to cease the dispensing of drugs to out-patients on Friday if the Minister of Health does not clarify the issue of mandatory signatory to the revolving drug account. All cheque books have been collected from the pharmacy accountant following the hospital management\u2019s decision to take […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":7762,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[385,15,1253,335],"yoast_head":"\n