FDA to name and shame health facilities giving fake medicine to patients – Health Minister
The Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman Manu, has revealed that some health facilities nationwide have been administering fake medicine to patients.
According to the minister, this is a worrying development as it threatens health care delivery and human life.
Mr Agyeman Manu disclosed this when he addressed stakeholders in the health sector during the First Senior Managers Meeting of the Ghana Health Service(GHS) on Tuesday, April 18, 2023.
“There is this worrying trend in the country’s healthcare system where some health facilities are using unapproved medicine, and I must say, I was shocked when officials of the Food and Drugs Authority drew the ministry’s attention to it.
“I have a note on my desk from the FDA over fake medication and falsified drug usage in public health facilities, and the very common one is oxytocin. I believe all of you here will know that oxytocin dose,” he said.
He added that the Food and Drugs Authority(FDA) is making efforts to publish all the facilities involved in the act.
“The FDA has put together the list and is seeking my approval to name and shame. So some of us are going to see ourselves in the public domain for using fake drugs.
“This is not the first time. About three years ago, they did the same thing and reported. So what is the motivation to take in fake drugs in our own facilities? Not all but the FDA woman wants to name and shame some of us,” the minister reiterated.
He appealed to health workers to help fight fake drug administrations and avoid sending patients to their early graves.
The minister also disclosed that the health ministry is overwhelmed with legal cases over staff negligence and wrong medication prescription.
He admitted that before he took over six years ago, the situation wasn’t as bad as today.
He questioned whether the health practitioners have forgotten what they were taught in the health training institutions to warrant these unfortunate developments.