NATIONAL DRUG POLICY (NDP) FOR GHANA
The national drug policy (NDP) is a document that sets the principles to be followed and the goals to aim at in the pharmaceutical service delivery. It aims at improving and sustaining the health of the people of Ghana by ensuring the rational use and access to safe, effective, good quality and affordable pharmaceutical products.
Without the National Drug Policy, development in the pharmaceutical sector would be haphazard and uncoordinated. The policy puts emphasis on legislation and quality control, drug registration, selection of essential drugs, local manufacture, herbal medicines, drug procurement and supply management, quality assurance, coordination, rational use, monitoring and evaluation, human resource development and research.
The overall goal of the policy is to improve and sustain the health of the population of Ghana by ensuring the rational use of and access to safe, effective, good quality and affordable pharmaceutical products.
The objectives of the policy are to: Back to Top
• Promote the rational use of drugs by prescribers, dispensers and consumers.
• Strengthen quality assurance by ensuring that only safe and effective drugs are sold or supplied to consumers by both the public and private sector.
• Establish financial mechanisms which ensure access and equity to essential drugs;
• Improve the system of supply and management of drugs by rationalizing the procurement system and improving the drug supply and management systems at all levels of health care delivery; and
• Increase the quantity and quality of health of human resources involved in pharmaceuticals at all levels of the health sector.
The current edition of the NDP differs from the previous one in some significant respects by incorporating an implementation plan to ensure that responsible organizations and individuals appropriately tackle all issues raised in the NDP.
The current edition also deals with intellectual property rights as contained in the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement and covers local production of antiretroviral drugs necessitated by the importance of a HIV/AIDS in the disease profile of the country.
It is envisaged that the changes and improvements in content to this edition will accommodate the new challenges in the pharmaceutical environment.
Copies of the NDP are available at the Ministry of Health through the Ghana National Drugs Programme (GNDP).
Contact Information
E-mail: gndp@ighmail.com
Tel: + 233-21 661670/71
Fax: + 233-21 664309 Back to Top |
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