“Pharmacists Do More: Celebrating Community Pharmacy Month”

The Community Practice Pharmacists Association (CPPA) has launched its 2025 celebration with a bazaar showcasing the dexterity and ingenuity of industrial pharmacists. The theme “We are doing more, so consult your pharmacist” highlights the expanded role of pharmacists in healthcare.

Pharm. Dr. Emmanuel Kwaku Ireland, CPPA Chairman, emphasized that community pharmacists in Ghana have expanded their roles to improve access to healthcare and enhance patient outcomes. These roles include health promotion and disease prevention, management of minor ailments, medication therapy management, chronic disease management, triage and referral, self-care support, and improving access to care.

The objectives of the Community Pharmacy Month Celebration (CPMC) 2025 are to equip pharmacies with the latest knowledge and skills to better serve the community, raise awareness about the critical role of community pharmacists in primary healthcare, and highlight the unique and significant contributions of community pharmacy practice to national development.

The CPPA has trained close to 1,000 pharmacies to provide vaccination services, 300 to provide medication therapy management, and 160 to provide access to affordable and high-quality sexual and reproductive health products and services. Some pharmacists have also been trained to become Graf pharmacists.

The celebration is also an opportunity to remember the CPPA’s fallen heroes who have contributed immensely to the formation and development of the association. The CPPA remembers pharmacists like Doctor Daniel Nana, Michael Ejekum Ado, and Senior Pharmacist Ted Bernasco, who have made significant contributions to the association.

The CPPA Chairman emphasized that the services provided by pharmacists are not free but are for a fee. He also thanked partners, including the Health Community of West Africa Association, for their support and collaboration.

The celebration of Community Pharmacy Month is a call to action for policymakers to strengthen the role of pharmacists in public health, for communities to seek their counsel, and for the industry to recognize the vital role pharmacists play in healthcare. By working together, we can ensure that every medicine sold, every question answered, and every consultation given helps build a healthier Ghana.

Story by Fada Amakye from Oman fm