The Ghana Federation of Disability says it is concerned about the deficiency in the labelling of local medications especially those that were used to treat COVID-19.
They say that many of the medications used to cure COVID-19 symptoms such as cold and flu, headache and body pains did not have braille.
Braille is a tactile writing system used by visually impaired people, including blind, deafblind, or with low vision.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency, under the Journalists for Human Rights Projects titled, “Mobilizing the Media in Fighting COVID-19″, Madam Rita Kusi, the Executive Director of the Federation said the situation did not help many of its members, especially during the self-isolation times.
She explained that people, especially the visually impaired were asked to isolate themselves in the house and did not have any support system to aid recovery.
On cough mixture bottles, for instance, some foreign medicines had the brille embossed below the label panel of the bottle while for tablets, the inscriptions are embossed on medicine boxes to guide the visually impaired.
“We observed that some of the medicines from foreign countries like the United Kingdom, United States, and Germany had the brille characters while others do not have,” she said.
On the COVID-19 vaccines, Madam Kusi noted that the immune systems of some of its members were compromised and needed a different version developed to fit that category.
She stated that the Persons with disability act, 2006 (Act 715) Section Seven, made provision for PWDs to access public services.
“A person who provides service to the public shall put in place the necessary facilities that make the service available and accessible to a person with a disability.”
She said about 10 per cent of Ghana’s population was disabled—forming the country’s largest minority group and needed to be supported.
Madam Kusi said such challenges hinder the idea of self-development and inclusion that democracy guarantees as Ghana, having ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
She said the Federation was ready to offer some technical support to the FDA and pharmaceutical companies to successfully ensure that members were served.
Mrs Rhoda Ewurabena Appiah, Head of the Communications and Public Education Department of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) reacting to the issue told the Ghana News Agency that the Authority had taken note of the concern and was taking steps to address it.
She explained that FDA was working with relevant stakeholders to upgrade the country’s legal framework on medicinal labelling to ensure that industrial actors serve all classes of people.
The regulatory reform, she said, would not only cover local pharmaceutical producers but all medicines imported to the country must be well labelled.
