The Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana (PSGH) has condemned the closure of a community pharmacy in Cape Coast during the recent National Clean-Up Exercise, describing the action as a disruption of an essential healthcare service that could have endangered patients.
In a press release issued on Tuesday, July 14, the Society expressed concern over a widely circulated video showing the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Cape Coast ordering the closure of Cape Coast Pharmacy and directing customers to leave the premises during the July 10 sanitation exercise.
“The PSGH unequivocally condemns this action,” the Society stated, while reaffirming its support for the government’s environmental sanitation campaign and the President’s call for a national clean-up exercise.
It, however, argued that the implementation of the directive in this instance denied patients timely access to pharmaceutical care.
According to the Society, community pharmacies are recognised as essential healthcare facilities and should not be subjected to blanket closures during national exercises.
It noted that pharmacies provide immediate access to medicines, emergency health advice, chronic disease management, first aid and other critical pharmaceutical services, warning that even temporary interruptions could delay treatment, worsen medical conditions and, in some cases, place lives at risk.
The PSGH further cited Ghana’s legal and policy framework, including the Health Professions Bodies Act, 2013 (Act 857), and the government’s recognition of community pharmacies as Primary Healthcare providers. It also referenced the COVID-19 period, when pharmacies were exempted from movement restrictions as essential service providers, arguing that the same principle should guide future national exercises.
The Society urged Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) and other authorities to formally recognise community and hospital pharmacies as essential services during future clean-up exercises and to issue clear operational guidelines to prevent similar incidents.
It also encouraged pharmacy operators to participate in sanitation activities through staff duty rosters that ensure uninterrupted service delivery.
The PSGH said it remains committed to supporting government public health initiatives but stressed that such interventions must be implemented in a manner that safeguards uninterrupted access to life-saving pharmaceutical services.
Below is the full statement from the Society
