The Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Ghana (PMAG) has called for government’s urgent intervention to recover millions of cedis owed to them by countries in the Sahel region.
According to the Association, the outstanding payments for medical supplies delivered to Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal, Ivory Coast, and other neighboring countries, excluding Nigeria, are crippling the operations of local pharmaceutical firms.
Speaking during a visit by Parliament’s Health Committee to Entrance Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Samuel Amo Tobbin, President of PMAG, urged government support to secure the funds.
He said, “The president is saying we’re going to have Ghana as a pharmaceutical hub, so then if this thing can be done, some of us that have started supplying and distributing our products to the sub-region, we expect that the money that they owe us is so huge, which I cannot mention here.
Not individuals in the country, we are talking about the governments of Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal, Ivory Coast and all the sub-regions, except Nigeria. So if our president or the parliament can support us in any way to get our monies, they can whisper to their colleague presidents to get our money, we’ll be so grateful.”
During a visit to Entrance Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Mark Kurt Nawaane, Chairman of Parliament’s Health Committee, assured PMAG members that lawmakers would engage the relevant stakeholders to ensure the recovery of the funds.
The committee’s intervention, he noted, is vital to supporting Ghana’s ambition of becoming a pharmaceutical hub for the West African sub-region.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
