The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has held a sensitisation exercise to educate traders at Nima market and Madina Polyclinic -Kekele on medicine adverse reactions and how to report when they experience sure.

Adverse reactions or side effects are harmful, unwanted, troublesome, and unpleasant feelings that are not expected but show up when medicines are taken.

This may start immediately after taking the medicine or may take time to develop and it could be mild in most cases but severe in other circumstances.

Ms Rebecca Mensah, with the Communications and Public Relations Department of the FDA, speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) said the exercise formed part of activities to mark this year’s World Patient Safety Day celebrations on the theme: “Engaging Patients for Patient Safety.”

The annual celebration, initiated by the World Health Organization and celebrated on September 17, is dedicated to raising awareness about patient safety and advocating for better healthcare practices.

She said the objective of the sensitization was to empower patients and the public with information on how to respond when they experience side effects related to the use of medicines, vaccines, and other health products.

Ms Mensah, speaking to the traders and some public members explained that reporting adverse events was important as it could help expose unknown harm and prevent others from suffering from the same.

 She said reporting could also help detect counterfeit and substandard medicines and other products on the Ghanaian market.

She advised the public to report any adverse reaction to medicines, vaccines, blood products, food supplements, herbal medicines, cosmetics, and household chemicals on the Med Safety App.

The Mobile App provides a quick and easy way to report adverse reactions and grants users instant access to medicines safety information and other news from the FDA.

Ms Mensah again urged people without Android phones to download the App to contact the FDA on 024 4310 297 to report.

Other topics discussed during the exercise include substandard and falsified medicinal products and what to look out for when buying medicines