FDA UPPERWEST REGIONAL OFFICE SENSITIZES GHANA FIRE AND PRISON SERVICE OFFICERS ON PHARMACOVIGILANCE

The Upper West Regional Office of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) as part of the FDA's mandate of ensuring public health and safety, undertook a sensitization program on pharmacovigilance for Officers of the Ghana Fire Service on the 21st of January 2021. Subsequently, staff of the Ghana Prison Service took their turn in receiving similar sensitization on the 22nd of January 2021 at their Regional office.

The objective behind the training was to introduce the pharmacovigilance system in Ghana and their roles in promoting patient safety. The training also centered on the need for safety issues to be reported, procedures for reporting, timelines for reporting and tools available for submitting adverse drug reactions to the FDA.

Furthermore, the sensitization program sought to help officers understand the importance of Pharmacovigilance, Adverse Drug Reaction and the necessity for reporting medicine safety. They were also educated on the requirements needed to file a complaint as well as how to report safety issues to the Authority using the Med Safety App.

To help the officers appreciate the FDA stance on medicine safety,they were given samples of products with quality defects to aid in their understanding of medicine safety and the need for reporting issues that compromise medicine safety. Participants were introduced to the Med Safety App and how it works.

The officers interacted with the staff of the Regional office headed by Mr. Albert Ankomah. In attendance were sixty-four (64) Fire Service Officers and fifty-eight (58) Ghana Prison Officers compromising newly recruited officers, drivers and senior officers.At the end of the event, participants expressed their appreciation for the organization of the sensitization program. Officers present promised to download the Med Safety App and report medicine safety issues they encounter with the usage of pharmaceutical products and also educate other colleagues who were absent.