Peddlers of medicine have increased their activities at lorry stations and households by moving from door to door to sell their drugs in the Sekondi/Takoradi metropolis.
This development, according to the regional pharmacy council, was not a healthy practice and blamed chemical sellers and some wholesale drug dealers for the upsurge in such activities.
The chemical sellers in the metropolis have therefore expressed their anger at the drug peddlers who they accuse of depriving them of maximum patronage.
The Regional Manager of the Pharmacy Council, Mr Kofi Obeng-Mensah, said drug peddlers got their supplies from the chemical shops, and therefore, it was wrong for them to turn around and accuse them of destroying their business.
He said drugs being peddled in the metropolis could be very harmful to the those who used them, and advised residents of the metropolis to visit health facilities to consult a a medical officer and trained pharmacist when they fell ill.
He said before the Pharmacy Council gave the green light to any chemical shop operator, it satisfied itself that the person was trained.
“He or she is the only one who is expected to operate the shop but you go to many of the shops and those who are granted licences to operate have also employed other persons who are not trained to sell the medicines,” he lamented.
The regional manager advised members of the Western Regional branch of the Ghana National Association of Chemical sellers not to make excessive profit-making their primary motive at the expense of the health of the people.
He advised members of the public to ensure that they made use of pharmacies and licensed chemical shops and stop patronising the services of drug peddlers.
He announced that the council was preparing to set up chemical shops in the metropolis with trained attendants and also to educate people on the dangers involved in patronising the services of the wayside peddlers.
The Regional Chairman of the Chemical Association, Mr Osei Buamah, said the impact of the activities of the drug peddlers was serious, and therefore expressed the preparedness of the association to help the Pharmacy Council and law enforcement agencies to curb it.
Mr Buamah also stressed the need for a stronger monitoring mechanism by the regulatory bodies to check peddling of pharmaceutical drugs.
He said the chemical sellers did not only dispense drugs wrongly but also evaded tax whereas members of the association promptly honoured their obligations.
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