“who” Appeals To Fda To Enforce Law Governing Medicine Manufactures

The world health organization (WHO) is calling on the Food and Drugs Authority (FAD) and other stakeholders to enforce the law governing medicine manufactures, distribution and sales of medicine the country.

This according to WHO would prevent unwanted distribution and sale of antibiotic drugs to citizen across the country.

The national professional officer in charge of essentials drugs and medicines at the world health organization (WHO) Edith Andrews Annan disclose this at a media dissemination workshop on the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Accra.

Mrs. Annan said Ghana has one of the tremendous laws and policies on medicine, but are buried in books meanwhile people from other country to study our polices and leave to implement it in their country which according to WHO is a bad habit as a nation.

She said citizen in the country are able to access pharmacies and buy antibiotics without prescription and described that as illegal.

Mrs. Annan described the manner in which drugs are sold as inappropriate I the sense that its cause bad damage to human system and some drugs even loses it potency and efficacy based on how it is store.

“For we at WHO plans are far advanced to combat antibiotic resistance since it was revealed in our global surveillance research in 2014 as high proportions of resistance to common treatments reported in all regions and negative effective that affect patients outcomes and health expenditures “she said.

She added that there is the need to sensitize people on the vaccine since treatment options is running out of the country.

Mrs. Annan said there should strong instrument like the capacity to collect data analyst report such that incidence of infection can be reduced.

She therefore called on stakeholders, media communication expert to create awareness and also train citizens on the use of antibiotic drugs.

Prof. Mercy Newman, department of microbiology, university of Ghana medical school, AMR policy platform Ghana said the global trend at which antibiotic resistance has reached is gradually losing its potency due to the irrational use of medicines as well as the poor infection prevention and control practices.

She said the pipeline is getting dried up because no new drugs are being invented therefore there is the urgent need to curb the situation.

Prof. Newman said the fight against antibiotic resistance is a global phenomena crisis not only in Ghana including some health implication they come in conduct with. .

“We are faced with challenges over the past 10 years but still the rate at which new alternative are taken slowly” she said.

Mr. Brain Adu Asare, programme officer, Ghana National Drugs Program, Ministry of health called for policy framework that would focus on community education and other culture activities.

He advised the citizen to desist from misusing antibiotic because of it harmful it effect it may cause individual. Adding that Ghanaians must be mindful of the prescribe drugs but rather take it when it is prescribe by a doctor.

By Anita Frimpong