This document is the second edition of the National Drug Policy prepared by the Ministry of Health of Ghana in 1998. The revision was based on the second Programme of Work of the Ministry of Health, the World Health Organisation's guidelines for drug policy development and implementation and recent developments in World trade, including Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement and its Public Health Safeguards. These reflect concerns raised regarding access to medicines for managing existing and emerging diseases of public health importance such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis malaria and buruli ulcer.

The policy document is to guide the pharmaceutical sector in Ghana. The various elements examined under the policy include, legislation and regulatory control, drug registration, selection of essential drugs, local manufacture, herbal medicines, drug procurement and supply management, quality assurance, co-ordination, monitoring and evaluation. In highlighting these areas, due cognizance has been given to available resources, potential of drugs in disease management and the socio-economic environment. The policy has also been formulated with an inherent flexibility to accommodate future developments and changes in the overall vision of attaining health for all.

This document has been developed following several consultations with all the stakeholders in the Pharmaceutical sector in order to ensure a coherent and a multi-sectoral platform for achieving the main goal of the national drugs policy.

This document shall therefore remain the official policy to guide the pharmaceutical sector in Ghana.

I wish to express my sincere appreciation to all the technical experts, World Health Organisation and the Royal Netherlands Embassy for their immense contribution and support towards the development of this policy and the pharmaceutical sector as a whole.

Dr Kwaku Afriyie
Honourable Minister of Health