The Community Practice Pharmacists Association (CPPA) has officially endorsed the Early Career Pharmaceutical Group's (ECPG) #HirePharmacistsNow campaign, calling on the government to urgently address pharmacist shortages in the public health sector. 

In a statement signed by Dr. Emmanuel Kwaku Ireland, CPPA Chairman, the Association said Ghana’s failure to recruit public sector pharmacists for the past five years has severely impacted primary healthcare, particularly in rural and underserved areas. 

With over 4,300 early-career pharmacists available for service, only 1,300 are currently employed across more than 10,000 health facilities, the CPPA noted. 

“This chronic under‐resourcing hinders medication safety, chronic‐disease care, and patient outcomes,” the statement read. 

The Association observed that the shortage has led patients to increasingly rely on informal and unregulated drug outlets, exacerbating health risks.  

“Each empty post represents a missed opportunity to reinforce primary care, prevent medication errors, and combat antimicrobial resistance. 

“Our pharmacists are trained, credentialed, and ready, but the system leaves them idle while communities suffer,” it said. 

CPPA advocated for the immediate recruitment of at least 500 pharmacists to improve health outcomes and ease pressure on overstretched practitioners.  

“Doing so would strengthen universal health coverage, shore up the national pharmaceutical services, and build resilience against the growing burden of non‐communicable diseases,” it said. 

The Association also emphasised equitable deployment to rural and peri‐urban communities most in need. 

The endorsement follows ECPG’s participation in a CDD-Ghana capacity-building programme on civic and health policy engagement, and the subsequent launch of the #HirePharmacistsNow campaign—a national advocacy effort across digital, traditional media, and stakeholder platforms. 

“Our request is simple and urgent: fill the posts. Strengthen our system. Protect our people. #HirePharmacistsNow,” the CPPA said.