Pharmacy Premises Licensing Policy Formulation: Experience from Ghana

Abstract

Background: Licence to operate pharmacy premises are issued by statutory regulatory bodies. The Pharmacy Council regulated pharmacy premises until the Health Facilities Regulatory Agency (HeFRA) was mandated by Act 829 (2011) to license pharmacy premises. The Pharmacy Council under Act 857 (2013) now regulates the business of mixing, compounding, preparing, or supplying restricted medicines by retail. Objective: To describe the policy actors involved, framing of narratives and decision-making processes relating to pharmacy premises licensing policy formulation.Methods: A descriptive qualitative study was conducted and data gathered through interviewing eight key informants and reviewing Hansards, reports, Bills, memoranda and Acts 829 and 857. Data were analysed to map decision-making venues, processes, actors and narratives. Results: The Health Institutions and Facilities Bill (2010) and the Health Professional Regulatory Bodies Bill (2010) were designed within the Ministry of Health bureaucratic system and processes with inputs and consensus from all stakeholders including the Private Hospitals and Maternity Homes Board and the Pharmacy Council. Between 28 October 2010 and 20 July 2011, the Health Institutions and Facilities Bill which established HeFRA, was subjected to legislative procedures and decisions by parliamentarians. The parliamentarians framed pharmacies as health facilities and reassigned its regulation to HeFRA. Similarly, the parliamentarians deliberated on the Health Professional Regulatory Bodies Bill which established the Pharmacy Council between 4 March 2011 and 21 December 2012. To which all content relating to licensing pharmacy premises were deleted from the Bill. Conclusion: The content of these policies rested with parliamentarians (with legislative power) and was largely based on how they framed issues relating to pharmacy premises regulation. Legislative procedure limited participations although non-legislative actors had some level of influence on the initial content. As legislative processes may be similar in other LMICs, this paper can contribute to learning and the formulation of Pharmacy premises regulation.