Some 2021 Doctor of Pharmacy house officers say they are mentally unstable to be able to provide proper medical services to patients.
According to them, their current state of mind is due to the government’s failure to pay their allowances for the past seven months.
The officers who are yet to be cleared by the Health Ministry to receive permanent appointment letters say they are reeling from the current economic hardship which has forced a number of them to leave post.
After an engagement with the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana (PSGH), the Pharmacy Council and the Ministry of Health, the house officers were provided with interest-free loans.
However, most of them are unable to access the loans as they fear they will never be paid the allowances to enable them settle these debts.
“It has been difficult. For some they have been posted to places where we are actually staying with our parents. So, we have to go and rent a place and you take care of your own transportation, feed yourself and get yourself to work. At times you will be there thinking about some debts you have to settle. This is making work difficult. Some people have also been forced to leave post because they no longer can cater for themselves,” one of the victims told Luv FM host, David Akuetteh.
They say their current conditions, coupled with the workload is leaving them mentally unstable to effectively execute their duties.
“You are in the pharmacy and you are supposed to supply a patient with medication because some of these medications come as lookalike drugs. For instance, Inter Pharma has two drugs, methyldopa which is for management of hypertension and carbamazepine, an epileptic drug. But these drugs come with the same packaging. So, if you are hungry and you pick the methyldopa for a hypertensive patient, but instead you give him or her carbamazepine, just because you are mentally unstable, you can imagine what will happen,” he added.
Some parents of these medical practitioners say they are finding it hard to cater for their wards.
The ecstasy of having a child who is a pharmacist has waned as parents are worried their children who would relieve them of their troubles are financially constrained.
“It is not easy putting your child through school for six years. Paying for their residential fees and others. During their admission, we were happy our daughter was going to be a doctor and now it’s so difficult you have to feed the child again. Every week have to spend about 300 Ghana cedis for her expenses. It is very sad,” he said.
The officers are threatening to halt their housemanship effective August 29, 2022 if the government and other stakeholders fail to meet their grievances.
Member of the Professional Service Committee of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana, Peter Gyamfi assured the aggrieved officers to meet their grievances half way.
“Yesterday, they met with the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana and Young Pharmacist Association and we reached a consensus. They will be met halfway. I can put it on record that there are a lot of activities ongoing and they should trust the PSGH.
“When I read their letter, I replied that it is teary to put somebody through this system. But there has been some intervention by the PSGH, though not enough. Some amounts have been released to them to hold them for some time. Yesterday, after the engagement, the President promised them of an amount that will be released to them as an interest free loan,’ he said.