The Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) Pharmacy Directorate over the weeken, converges at the Radach Hotel in Tamale for a day retreat for staff and members of the pharmacy department of the hospital.
The purpose of the retreat was to review and revise the work plan to improve on communication and team building, to enable staff plan for the future of healthcare delivery of the hospital.
The retreat also held in line with the mission of the Directorate to provide quality, affordable and safe medicines, and patient oriented care by well-trained client friendly professionals.
The 2019 retreat brought together several health practitioners including nurses, doctors, allied health, medical practitioners, retired TTH pharmacy staff, physicians, health financiers, Ghana Health Service, Food and Drugs Authority and health students from the University for Development Studies(UDS).
The Director of Pharmacy department at the hospital, Dr Abdulai Abdul Hamid, in his address said the directorate has resolved to fully deploy ICT to run the operations to generate more funds to enable payment of drug related services in less than 90 days.
He has however, expressed worry over insufficient pharmacy staff numbers at the hospital, and inadequate logistics for drug manufacturing unit as well as low storage facilities.
“Every patient needs a pharmacist. And healthcare professionals must work as a team to ensure patient safety. Patients are key members of the healthcare team. Therefore, we should always try to listen to their contributions no matter how little they may be”, he advised. ‘
“With this in mind, let us stay open, discuss and share ideas and experiences to enable us care better for our clients. Therefore, let us continue with the team spirit and enjoy the power of togetherness”, he stated.
Professor. Kwame Ohene Buabeng, Head of Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at KNUST who was guest speaker for the occasion, said Pharmacy is a health profession and thus, the pharmacist have a huge responsibility to society to contribute to its health and socio-economic development.
He added, pharmacist in healthcare facilities like TTH are also key members of the healthcare team who work in collaboration with medical officers, nurses and all other members of the team to improve health and well-being with optimal outcomes from their services.
Prof Kwame said, research and public health roles indicated that, the role of the pharmacist in the country has expanded beyond the traditional medicines used in supply chain management to clinical pharmacy practice.
He said pharmacists at the TTH are actively involved in reviewing patient folders, medication use and making recommendations to improve health outcomes.
Prof Kwame Ohene Buabeng addressing the participants, commended pharmacy directorate at the TTH for organizing such event, saying “I find this programme to be very useful and important for reflections about how to improve skills and competencies for relevance in the health system. I therefore encourage the pharmacists here to unleash the potentials they have, make their presence and professional skills felt to the benefit of TTH, their clients, Tamale and Northern Ghana at large”.
Source:AlhassanYakubu |www.Diamondfmonline.com|Ghana
