We need stable power supply to ensure steady supply of medication – Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association

The Executive Secretary of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Ghana (PMAG), Lucia Addae, says a constant supply of electricity is needed for health facilities and pharmaceutical companies to continue saving lives.

This comes after allegations that a three-day-old baby died at the Tema General Hospital in the evening of Tuesday, March 26, due to a power outage.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Tuesday, the Executive Secretary explained that some essential medications rely on electricity to be manufactured, and without it, those medicines will not be available to patients who need them.

“You don’t know what will happen to you. You could be in an accident or not feeling well in a certain village somewhere and you need medication.

“Maybe, you work at ECG and if you don’t have that medication, something could happen to you,” she said.

In addition to the risk to public health, Mrs Addae noted that the frequent power outages also disrupt the daily operations of health facilities and pharmaceutical companies.

 She stated that there is a need for a reliable timetable for outages so that organisations can plan their activities and minimise the impact on patients and customers.

According to her, while generators can provide temporary power, they are not a long-term solution, unlike the more reliable solar power.

“Is it possible to use solar without battery during the day? During the night you could use a generator or some other source or alternative.

“You could start discussing it and look at what the impact is financially, look at whether you need some expertise, some human resource to ensure that there is efficiency.”

“Look at what else you can do to have those kind of smooth transitions from one source to the other. Whether you need to automate it and all of that, a timetable will help and I think it’s important that it is communicated.

“If we are feeling it and asking for it, it shouldn’t be a secret. Everybody should know that this is what is happening and have a conversation on what we can do to make this better,” she said.