Mr Joseph Nyoagbe, Registrar of Ghana Pharmacy Council (GPC), has called on private transport operators to collaborate with the Council to fight the peddling of medicine in vehicles and lorry parks. He said the council believes a collaborative effort was critical if the war against quack medical practice as well as fake medicine peddling would be successful. Mr Nyoagbe, who made the call at the induction of 90 registered pharmacists in Accra on Wednesday, urged transport operators to join the fight. He noted that pharmacists played greater roles in adhering to procurement standards to fight against counterfeiting, and must insist on all medicine procurement standards. “There is a strong belief that if pharmacists can and should assert themselves professionally by insisting on standards, the greed and inordinate profit motive that blinds some pharmaceutical merchants and entrepreneurs would give way to the overriding public and national interest,” he said. Mr Nyoagbe assured that the Council would use every legitimate and legal means to weed out all corporate bodies and individuals who without due process or license had established unauthorized facilities to sell medicines to the public. He pledged the council’s determination to apply the law to the latter and would not hesitate to institute disciplinary measures or cause criminal prosecution against pharmacists, individuals or pharmaceutical care providers who would breach the laws and regulations governing pharmacy practice. Mr Nyoagbe said the Council would continue to ensure that standards of practice were maintained through appropriate interventions of monitoring and inspections, and improve upon its registration and licensing processes in a transparent and efficient manner. He asked the inductees to be competent, selfless and hardworking, adding that “as new generation pharmacists, it is very important to bring out innovations into the practice which would be more relevant to the communities and patients”. “You should endeavour to leave a mark on every surface where you walk no matter the situation and continue to show competence, skills and good character to society,” Mr Nyoagbe added. Source: GNA