A/R: Pharmacy Council Closed Down Life Dream Pharmacy After Delivering Wrong Treatment Leading To A Child’s Death

A 5-year-old child died after he was delivered the wrong treatment at Life Dream Pharmacy in Kenyasi-Adwumam, in the Kwabre East Municipality of the Ashanti Region.

According to a complaint received, the 5-year-old boy reported at the pharmacy in the company of his parents with the complaint of a rabid dog bite. The staff on duty proceeded to administer ATS Tetanus Vaccine, Efpac suspension, Amoxiclav suspension and Vitamin C syrup as a treatment for the rabid dog bite. The attendant then informed the parents that the child should be taken home, assuring them that all necessary medications have been served.

As a result of this false information, the child did not receive the life-saving Anti Rabies Vaccine and unfortunately, the boy died on September 08, 2022, as a result of rabies disease.

The Ashanti Regional Pharmacy Council Manager, Benjamin Kwarteng Frempong, says efforts at ensuring that pharmacies operating in the country employ qualified pharmacists and practice according to laid down standards is always a priority and must be continuously enforced.

According to him, the move has become critical to protect lives as expert diagnosis is needed before drugs are dispensed. The move is also to ensure that regulatory compliance is strictly adhered to.

” We took this step following a letter we received from the Kwabre East Municipal Health Directorate through the Regional Health Directorate on the said information”, he added.

Per the law, the Pharmacy Council may grant a licence to a body corporate or government institution if it is satisfied that:
a. the applicant is fit to carry on the business of mixing, compounding, preparing or supplying restricted medicines by retail,
b. the business of the applicant is carried on under the supervision of a superintendent pharmacist. (Act 857, 2013, Section 93 (1)

The Ashanti Regional Manager of the Pharmacy Council, Benjamin Kwarteng Frempong, in an interview, said the requirement of the services of a registered and qualified superintendent pharmacist is key before any application for such a licence is considered and issued when deemed fit. In addition, he said that Life Dream Pharmacy is a victim of unlawful practices as revealed by the report and follow-up inspection, and “These unethical practices should not occur”.

The regulatory team who led the investigation together with the media witnessed beyond ethical and lawful pharmacy practice; administration of injections & infusions on-premises, the practice of medicine on-premises, expired drugs on shelves among a host of others.

Some community members complained IV fluids and injections are routinely given on the premises of this Pharmacy, an allegation that was confirmed when a man who brought in his sick wife to be attended to requested for injection to be administered instead of oral medication(s). But under the watchful eye of the investigative team, his request could not be granted.