President ss Address at 2016 AGM 2016

Transcription

1 PSGH President President ss Address at 2016 AGM 2016 SPEECH BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE PHARMACEUTICAL SOCIETY OF GHANA (PSGH), PHARM. THOMAS BOATENG APPIAGYEI TO THE 2016 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM) OF THE PSGH AT EUSBETT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE CENTRE IN SUNYANI, BRONG AHAFO REGION The Minister of Health, Hon. Alex Segbefia, Hon. Deputy Regional Minister of the Brong Ahafo Region, Prof. Alex Dodoo our Thematic Speaker, Past Presidents, Fellows of the PSGH, The Director of Pharmaceutical Services of the Ministry of Health, The Chairman of the Pharmacy Council, The President and Chairman of the Ghana College of Pharmacists, Members of the Governing Board of the PSGH, Captains of the Pharmaceutical Industry, Regional Director of Health Services, My Colleague Pharmacists of this Noble Profession, Invited Guests, Our media friends, Ladies and Gentlemen, OPENING We have gathered once again: In fulfillment of our corporate and constitutional aspirations to deliberate on issues and matters critical to moving our Practice, our Society, and our Nation forward. To reflect on our collective direction, review our performance, and explore better means to improve on our core mandate as the most trusted friends of the human race. To examine how we can work towards improving patient safety outcomes. Our theme, Pharmacy practice: O Optimizing patient safety is a clarion call to the PSGH, practitioners, government ment and all stakeholders to join forces, agree on clear objectives

2 and work towards ensuring that we achieve quality, cost-effective, sustainable patient safety outcomes. We have also gathered to re-unite as a family, take stock of our profession and practice, share notes and best practices, and leave Sunyani as better professionals equipped to positively impact our nation. This is what Ghanaians expect. TENURE Colleagues, one year ago, you entrusted me and my team with the mandate to lead our noble Society. I promised you leadership that will address the pressing challenges while building the foundations for a better, brighter, future for ourselves as practitioners, our practice and our profession. Last year I said this, and I will like to quote my own words: Our problems require VISIONARY STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP to confront. I, Thomas Boateng Appiagyei, I am the first to admit they require more than two years or even four years to tackle. That is why I propose the NEW OUTLOOK as the best way to tackle these. We must CREATE a PROCESS to address these problems and many others in the long term. This process must begin with transparent, selfless, measurable leadership in the PSGH... This is what I stand for and believe in. I, in consultation with my Governing Board, SEC and all practice, interest, regional groupings and the general membership shall begin the DEVELOPMENT of a 10year Strategic Plan for the PSGH. The aim of this PLAN (THE NEW OUTLOOK) will be: To CREATE a defined future for the PROFESSION, the PRACTICE and the PRACTITIONER in the next decade. To obtain our collective inputs and ownership of the plan as WHERE WE WANT TO BE. In other words, it was creating the framework for our collective future through strategic visionary leadership. I promised you this plan will be the talking point of AGM Today, I stand here humbled, happy, hopeful and absolutely confident. I am humbled by your amazing show of goodwill, patience and support for me and my team. I am happy that within the last 11months, we have tangible results as a sign of a future we dreamt of. I am hopeful that the foundations to a more secure future have been laid by the NEW OUTLOOK and I am absolutely confident that we shall succeed.

3 The New Outlook for Pharmacy The new outlook for Pharmacy was grounded on three key pillars: a respected profession, a revered practice and reputed professionals. To achieve these, we had to lay certain strong, fundamental basis upon which to build the vision. These included, broadly: 1. Restructure, resource and empower the National Secretariat with an enabling environment to achieve results; 2. Develop a 10-year Strategic Plan for the Society; 3. Explore alternative sources of income generation for the Society; 4. Pursue the land title, review the next phase and recommence the Pharmacy Centre Project; 5. Revise the AGM and align it to our goals; 6. Strengthen Practice Groups and Pharmacy Practice; 7. Recognize young pharmacists as a critical group for our Society s future. These broad themes, translate into the numerous projects, programs and plans we promised to deliver. We promised to be more action-oriented, and focused on our objectives. While we will have more time to examine and interrogate our tenure in the next two days, I am greatly pleased to report that: 1. We have begun revising operations at the National Secretariat. The process is ongoing and those who have visited the Society s office lately will attest to this. 2. We have the final 10-year Strategic Plan of the PSGH as a key talking point of this AGM. In fact, Friday sbusiness Session will see us engaging fully on this crucial document. 3. We have laid the foundations for exploring additional sources of income. Very soon our Business Unit and other initiatives will kick in to demonstrate this. 4. We have, finally, obtained original land title that vests the entire land in the name of the PSGH, paving the way for massive works to begin on the National Headquarters immediately after this AGM. Copies of the title document and two different sketch designs from two architectural firms will be displayed at this AGM. I invite you to visit the stand and offer your inputs for this Project. 5. The revision of the AGM and its alignment to our goals has just begun. The registration, publicity, restructuring and arrangements of this AGM is more an experience than a story to be told.

4 6. The strengthening of the Practice Groups and pharmacy practice has begun. It has been a tough period, combining the quest for these strategic issues with the myriad of pressing challenges we faced as a profession. 7. For the first time in many years, Young Pharmacists will have their forum to deliberate on key matters that affect them and their practice. The issues will be raised, addressed and discussed by Young Pharmacists among themselves. The outcomes of these discussions will be fed into our plans for the future. DIIRECTORATES In line with the PSGH Constitution and in a bid to ensure the effective deployment of each SEC member to the achievement of our vision, I established 5 Special Committees and 4 Directorates. The Mandates of the Committees are in the Governing Board Report. On behalf of the GB, I am glad to report that: 1. The Education, Research and Public Health Directorate of PSGH has been coordinating and supporting public health educational programmes across all regions in Ghana, working closely with our regional executives to educate the public on priority public health problems such as: Meningitis, Emergency contraceptive use, Cholera, antibiotic resistance, Responsible use of Medicines by the public among others. 2. The Directorate worked closely with LAPAG and Ghana Pharmaceutical Students Federation to educate students on the various campuses on the health implications of the abuse of emergency contraceptives and related issues. 3. The Directorate has also collaborated with the Internal Relations Directorate of the PSGH to strengthen the scientific content of this year s AGM. It is a credit to the Directorate that we have poster presentations as part of this year s AGM. 4. The Directorate is also facilitating a public health educational campaign called Ask the Pharmacist Initiative, where PSGH will work closely with Alsbridge to continuously

5 sensitize the public about the role of pharmacists in the health system and to promote health and responsible use of medicines. 5. The Directorate has plans to roll out a nationwide mentorship programme and CPD activities. 6. The Governmental and Non-Governmental Relations Directorate has also initiated collaboration and capacity building for Pharmacists with the Country Representative of the World Health Organisation (WHO). 7. The External Relations Directorate has appointedoverseas co-ordinators in Europe and America with the specific responsibilities of facilitating the collaboration between members abroad and the Society for our mutual benefit. 8. The Directorate has also instituted awards by PSGH for the best graduating pharmacy students from the three pharmacy schools in the country. 9. The PSGH is for the first time sponsoring one pharmacy intern from each of the three teaching hospitals in the country including Korle Bu, Komfo Anokye and Tamale Teaching hospitals to attend this AGM as observers. 10. The Internal Relations Directorate has enriched our existing welfare system of the President (or Administrative Secretary) talking directly to members on members birthdays with the aim of fostering a very close bond between the PSGH and its members. 11. This directorate has also facilitated the bridging of the communication gap between the PSGH, its Presidency and the membership through monthly bulletins on initiatives and efforts of the President.

6 12. The directorate is also collaborating with the Educational, Research and Public Health Directorate to plan for the 2016 World Pharmacists Day Celebration on the 25 th September This directorate co-ordinated the planning for the development of the 10-year Strategic Plan for the PSGH. 14. The Internal Relations Directorate also engineered the planning, organisation and implementation of the 2016 AGM to align to my vision as President of the PSGH. 15. The Editorial Team has consistently published a bimonthly publication of The Apothecary News. This has not only ensured that members of PSGH are constantly kept abreast with the Society s affairs and engagements but also kept up to date with trends in the health sector. 16. The Editorial Team has regularly updated information on the website since taking over the management of the website. The Team looks forward to leveraging the website as an interactive educational platform for deploying CPD modules so all members of the PSGH can, at their convenience, build their knowledge and sharpen their professional skills. 17. I am also proud to announce that efforts have been pursued to ensure that all scientific articles published in Ghana Pharmaceutical Journal (GPJ) undergo rigorous peer-review processes. This year s Edition of the Journal was indeed taken through this crucial editorial process. A database of peer reviewers is still in development. 18. A Facebook handle of the GPJ is now available. Our publications (GPJ) and The Apothecary News) standards were raised when we obtained an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) for these valuable documents which serve as the official mouthpiece of the PSGH. Obviously, the standards of our publications have been raised.

7 PSGH President President ss Address at 2016 AGM 2016 Pressing Issues Hon. Minister, the Single Spine Salary Structure challenges and Conditions of Service for our colleague colleagues in government hospital remain a huge blot on our collective welfare as a profession. Motivations are low, confidence is being eroded and the countless adjournments and confusion is grave danger for industrial harmony, patient care and pharmaceutical care in our hospitals. Our national development cannot be attained by leaving any person or group of persons, more so pharmacists behind. Our colleagues have endured, toiled and persevered under several Health Ministers, Arbitral Bodies, the judicial processes and Committees upon committees in their difficult quest for equity, justice and fairness. Honorable Minister, you would agree with me that these issues must come to an end. I appeal to you, Honorable Minister, to impress upon Government, as a matter of extreme urgency to deal with this GHOSPA GHOSPA-Fair Wages and Salaries Commission issues once-and-for-all. The appropriate Interim Market Premium, the obvious and logical call for revising the grade structure following clear determinations rminations by the National Labor Commission and the Cabinet Sub Committee, the conclusion of the Conditions of Service for Hospital Pharmacists cannot wait any longer. The time to fix these problems is now. Honorable Minister, I believe the time is now!!! The other pressing issue has been the Pharmacy Council s new policy on superintending Community Pharmacy premises. I will say this is a very thorny and delicate issue. On one hand the PSGH fully condemns the hanging of licenses menace and supports any initiative to curb it, yet we also demand that the Council must extend the same standards to all health facilities whether government run or private, whether big or small. This is critical for quality patient safety outcomes. Thirdly, the increasing cases of administrative injustice and penal measures against some of our colleagues in some public health institutions are regrettable. We mention notably the circumstances that have led to the two year interdiction of Mrs. Elizabeth Bruce in Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, the strange termination of the appointment of Eric Kwaku Kyei and the

8 termination of the appointment of only the Pharmacist in the Korle Bu Senior Staff Association (KOSSA) leadership, Charles Offei-Palm are most unfortunate and regrettable. While all these matters remain in Court, we urge the Health Ministry to intervene immediately to resolve these issues as the cost and impact of litigation on our colleagues is unacceptable, unfair and most unfortunate. National Health Insurance Issues The PSGH welcomes Government s efforts at re-examining the NHIS for sustainability, equity, accountability and efficiency. We have supported the process and made our inputs. As a Society, we believe the Scheme represents a huge relief for the majority of Ghanaians and we must all support government and the Authority to ensure its continuous survival and sustainability. We also commend Government for her support for the local pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. We refer to the direct financial support for the Industry and the withdrawal of VAT on some major pharmaceutical inputs and some finished products under LI 2218 of the VAT amended Act. This single initiative is unprecedented in our history and we hope to be seeing more for industry in the years ahead. The PSGH believes government s deliberate and targeted support for local manufacturing will not only strengthen the health system but also boost national economic development. As it is often said, any nation that develops makes three things in abundance: its own energy (fuel), its own food and its own medicines. We will implore Government to give a prominent place for pharmaceuticals and health technologies in the economic aspirations of Ghanaians. Our theme for this AGM is also a bold manifestation of our commitment to work with Government in its efforts at achieving patient safety outcomes. We promise to make the outcomes of these deliberations available to the government through the Ministry for action and incorporation into policy. Election 2016 There is only one Ghana. Our homeland. We urge all competing parties to make every effort to ensure a peaceful election in December. Candidates, their supporters and party agents must be circumspect, careful and guard against any acts that may threaten or compromise the peace. Ghana has earned the enviable place of a model for democracies in Sub Saharan Africa. This recognition is critical for attracting trade, investments and development to Ghana. We owe it to ourselves, our children and our communities to jealously guard this peace.

9 The PSGH further calls on the Electoral Commission (EC) to lay down the rules clearly and enforce it strictly to ensure that both winning and losing parties and candidates are left with no doubts. We have a history of very close electoral results and these call for strong electoral systems and rules to ensure clarity and consistency. We finally call on all Ghanaians to put our nation ahead of any person or party. Ghana first. Ghana is bigger than any of the parties or candidates. Let s work together to build our nation. Political, tribal and any form of polarization must be avoided and condemned in clear terms. Conclusion In conclusion, it is often said: To a generation much is given, but of other generations, much is expected. We the current generation of pharmacists owes it to ourselves, our profession and posterity to create what will be the future of our noble profession in Ghana. Let us therefore eschew the dangerous infections of disunity, complaints, excuses, and blame; Let s change our thoughts; Let s believe in our collective strength; Let s believe in what we can do; Let s light our lamps to brighten our little corners; Let s create our common future today; Let s roll up our sleeves and get the job done; Let s resolve to build; where it is broken, let s rebuild, Let us make Sunyani the turning point To paraphrase the words of Nehemiah in the Bible (Nehemiah 2:18) Fellows, Members, Colleagues and all Pharmacists, the gracious hand of the Almighty God is upon us: Let us rise up and build. Let us strengthen our hands for this good work. Long Live Pharmacy! Long Live the PSGH!! Long Live Ghana!!! *End of speech