Dr. Samuel Kow Donkoh, the President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana, has cautioned the public against the intake of antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines without the approval of a doctor or pharmacist.
Antimicrobial medicines were used to treat severe diseases and needed to be taken with caution and approval from accredited medical professionals, he noted.
Dr. Donkoh gave this advice at the Antimicrobial Stewardship Symposium and the National Launch of the SPARC Prescribing Companion App in Accra.
It was organised by the Commonwealth Pharmacists Association, Community Practice Pharmacists Association and the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana.
The Prescribing Companion App is an antibiotics prescription smartphone app to support responsible and safe antibiotics usage in the human and animal health sectors across Africa and Asia.
The SPARC (Surveillance and Prescribing Support for Antimicrobial Stewardship Resource Capacity Building) app serves as a guide for antimicrobial prescription.
The event, which brought together pharmacists in Ghana and abroad was on the theme: “Antimicrobial Use, Consumption, Resistance and Stewardship: the Role of the Community Pharmacist.”
Dr. Donkoh said some people were fond of taking antibiotics anytime they felt slightly ill or unwell, which had led to their bodies developing antimicrobial resistance against medicines.
He appealed to the authorities to put policies in place to ensure antimicrobials were reserved for serious medical conditions.
He urged pharmacists to ensure that patients had medical approval for the purchase of antimicrobials before administering them to them at their pharmacies.
Jennifer Bonnah, the Chief Regulatory Officer, Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), urged the public to dispose off unused and expired drugs appropriately.
The FDA had provided designated bins at some facilities to collect unused and expired drugs for safe disposal.
Bonnah advised the public against buying medicines at unauthorised locations, including vehicles and markets, saying it was important to buy from accredited over-the-counter drug stores and pharmacies.
“We will also appeal to the public to always ensure that they buy medicines from accredited pharmacies, which have licensed pharmacists in them,” she added.
“Buying medicines from unauthorised sellers in vehicles and markets poses a serious risk to the consumer.”
Dr. Emmanuel Kwaku Ireland, Chairman, Community Practice Pharmacists Association, said the Prescribing Companion App was a reference resource for guidance on antimicrobial prescribing.
Dr. Ireland, who championed the App in Ghana, said it was not intended for use by the public and did not replace the advice of a healthcare professional.
“Each individual country holds responsibility for reviewing and keeping the resources up-to-date, for their country section,” he added.