GMA president calls for thorough inspection of Global Fund approved drugs

GMA President, Dr. Frank Serebour

The President of the Ghana Medical Association, Dr. Frank Serebour, is urging the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) to immediately sample and authenticate drugs cleared at the port.

Dr. Serebour emphasized the importance of checking for expired or deteriorated medications due to improper storage conditions.

He highlighted concerns over 11-month-old, unpurified medicines at the port, and emphasized the need for proper storage to maintain their efficacy.

“We are discussing about eleven months’ worth of unhandled drugs at the port. Every medicine has a specific storage condition to reach its expiry date,” he said.

He further suggested that long-term storage under adverse conditions could make the drugs unsuitable for their intended purpose.

Dr. Serebour urged the FDA to review samples to ensure their quality and suitability.

“It is possible that because we have not stored the drugs in the correct condition and left them at port for months, they are not fit for purpose. Therefore, I argue that the FDA should select and test samples to determine whether they are fit for purpose or not,” he stressed.

Dr. Serebour, in an interview with Millicent Safo-Adu on Bresosem on Abusua965FM, criticized the Ministry of Health for the delays in releasing the Global Fund’s medical supplies.

He stressed the importance of starting approval processes early to avoid such delays.

He said: “I will refer this matter to the Ministry of Health. I blame them because they control the date, the number of products and the type of products that come, including the ship that brings the goods. We have laws in this country so they have to start the customs clearance process earlier so that by the time the goods arrive they already have the necessary clearance.”

He shared his experiences in efficiently collecting medical supplies in the past and emphasized the need for a streamlined clearance process within the Ministry of Health.

“When I heard that the delayed medicines were locked up at the port, I was a little skeptical and wondered: how could this happen? Before you plan to take items with you, start the process. I’ve been in the same situation before, but it didn’t take me long to clean it up and deliver it. The Ghana Health Service collected the goods and delivered them to us in Bekwai; we didn’t struggle,” he opined.

Dr. Serebour also questioned the reliance on donated medicines and called for a focus on essential program medicines such as tuberculosis and HIV drugs.

“Program drugs like tuberculosis and HIV drugs are critical, and we certainly need them. However, I wonder why we are asking for donations of anti-malarial drugs such as ACTs. After all, we produce some of these drugs domestically and we have enough to manage our own healthcare system,” he added.

In addition, he called for transparency in donations to prevent misuse and emphasized the need for a special unit within the Ministry of Health to monitor approval processes and ensure timely delivery of medical supplies to healthcare facilities.

“I know that people brought a number of health items into the country, all in the name of donating to a health facility, but ended up keeping them to avoid tax exemptions. If you wish to ship certain healthcare items to a hospital, please include the name, the reason for donating the items, and provide the hospital with the necessary documents for approval. I believe that the Ministry of Health should have a unit that manages some of these processes and ensures that even if the donations are intended for KATH, they are approved and delivered to them,” he stated.

Background:

On April 12, the Ministry of Health (MoH) received 14 of 182 containers at Tema Port containing essential medicines for antiretroviral, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria treatments donated by the Global Fund (GF).

The essential medical supplies, including antiretroviral drugs for HIV patients, remained stuck at Tema port for almost a year as the government failed to pay compensation to third parties.