The Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana (PSGH) has appealed to Ghanaians to donate one GH¢1 each to help raise GH¢50 million to restock the Central Medical Stores (CMS).
It follows an approval by the Ministry of Health for the society to launch a campaign to raise the amount to re-equip and stock the medical stores gutted by fire on January 13, 2015.
GH¢50-million fund
The Minister of Health, Mr Alex Segbefia, who gave the green light when the PSGH presented a second batch of essential drugs estimated at GH¢254,730 to the ministry at the temporary warehouse in Accra yesterday, gave assurance of the government’s support to enable the PSGH to raise the GH¢50 million to re-equip the CMS with essential drugs to make healthcare delivery easily accessible.
Inferno at CMS
Following the inferno at the CMS in Tema on January 13, 2015 that totally destroyed the stores, as well as all the drugs in the warehouse, the government launched an appeal to Ghanaians to contribute, in diverse ways, to re-equip the CMS to enhance quality healthcare delivery.
Positive response
The PSGH responded by appealing to its members to respond positively to the government’s appeal, after which five of its members made a quick response by donating quantities of essential drugs worth GH¢476,160 which were presented to the then Minister of Health, Dr Kwaku Agyemang-Mensah, on February 2, 2015.
The society continued to interact with its members and nine pharmaceutical companies responded, making it possible for the society to acquire quantities of essential drugs estimated at GH¢476,160 which were presented to Mr Segbefia at a short ceremony in Accra yesterday.
With the donation of the second batch of essential drugs, the PSGH has now made a total contribution of essential drugs worth GH¢730,890.50 to the Ministry of Health to make healthcare delivery more sustainable, affordable and easily accessible to Ghanaians.
Seed money of GH¢10,000 to raise the GH¢50 million has also been donated by the PSGH to motivate the entire citizenry to emulate its gesture.
Commendations
Receiving the drugs, Mr Segbefia expressed the government’s gratitude to the PSGH, saying its sense of patriotism to champion quality healthcare delivery should encourage Ghanaians to donate generously.
That, he said, would enable the PSGH to realise the GH¢50 million target to procure the requisite essential drugs to enhance quality healthcare delivery.
“We will continue to collaborate with you and work together to put up policies and programmes that will work for the common good of Ghanaians and it is my wish that other companies and organisations will emulate your gesture,” he said.
Our commitment
Earlier, the President of the PSGH, Mr James Ohemeng-Kyei, had said when the CMS was destroyed, the government estimated that it needed GH¢75 million to restock the stores and provided GH¢25 million for the project, leaving GH¢50 million, hence the GH¢50 million appeal.
He said the society would not only be transparent in the collection of all money donated but also account for each cedi donated.
“We have not only donated essential drugs worth GH¢730,890.50 to the Ministry of Health to re-equip the CMS but also donated seed money of GH¢10,000 and this shows our commitment to raise money to re-equip the CMS to mitigate the impact of the inferno on January 13, 2015,” he said.
He said the pharmaceutical companies that donated the essential drugs were M&G Pharmaceuticals, Osons Chemists, KAMA Health Services, Lymens Medical Supplies, Unicom Chemists, Amponsah-Efah Pharmaceuticals, Pharmanova, Lagray Chemical Company and Phyto-Riker Pharmaceuticals.
He commended them for their gesture and urged the people to respond when the society launched the GH¢50 million project to raise money to restock the CMS.
Credit: Daily Graphic
