Top-up Pharmacy has celebrated the one-year anniversary of its East Legon branch with a health screening exercise.

The pharmacy provided free health screening for hypertension, diabetes, dental, eye care, cholesterol, and general health consultation to the residents of East Legon and its surrounding communities.

Prior to the health screening, a durbar was held to celebrate the impact and successes of the East Legon branch since its establishment a year ago.

Present at the durbar were the Member of Parliament of Ayawaso West Wuogon, Ms. Lydia Alhassan, stakeholders in the pharmaceutical industry, and opinion leaders of the area.

The Chief Executive Officer of Top-Up Pharmacy, Mr. Richard K. Odor, said the focus of the company was to provide quality but affordable health care for all in a professional manner that met the peculiar needs of customers.

He said Top-Up Pharmacy began its operations in 2006 and currently had 13 branches throughout the country.

According to him, the vision of the company was to expand from retail and venture into manufacturing to serve the needs of the country and the sub-region. He thanked all stakeholders who had been part of the success story of Top-Up Pharmacy.

Ms. Alhassan lauded Top-Up Pharmacy for establishing a branch in her constituency, a feat which, she said, had made pharmacy services closer to the residents of the area, as well as provided employment for people.

“They have really done well and have supported the growth of this country. They have over 200 staff and they are contributing their quota to national development,” she said.

She advised workers of the company to continue to work hard not just for the success of Top-Up, but also to distinguish themselves.

For his part, a Deputy Registrar of the Pharmacy Council in charge of Professional Development, Mr. Albert Wiredu Arkoh, said Top-Up Pharmacy was one of the pharmacies that regularly renewed its license and followed the regulations of the council.

“The regulation states that pharmacies must constantly have pharmacists on their premises to serve the public. Top-Up Pharmacy has followed this regulation, as well as other regulations diligently,” he said.

A pharmaceutical company, Top-Up Pharmacy Limited, has donated personal protective equipment (PPE) to the Tema General Hospital to support the frontline healthcare staff of the facility in the fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The items, estimated at GH₵30,000 included boxes of infrared thermometer guns, packs of disposable nose masks, face shields, and hand sanitisers.

Top-Up Pharmacy presented the supplies to the hospital to fulfill the company’s commitment to improving healthcare delivery in the country.

Presentation

Presenting the items, the Chief Executive Officer of Top-Up Pharmacy and Lena House Clinic, Mr. Richard K. Odor, said the donation formed part of the company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) in communities the company operated.

Mr. Odor acknowledged that fighting COVID-19 was a collective effort, noting that the hospital staff were exposed to a lot of dangers in the discharge of their duties, hence the assistance.

“The Tema General Hospital is a COVID-19 centre as well as a referral centre and treats a lot of patients, hence they need the assistance of companies close to it like us.

“With about 10 outlets in various parts of the country, we always identify the needs of communities in which we operate and provide the necessary assistance that we can.

“In the coming weeks, we will also be assisting the Accra Psychiatric Hospital with items to help in their operations,” he said.

Mr Odor was accompanied by Mrs Olena Odor, the Executive Director of Top-Up Pharmacy; Mr Emmanuel Fiadzorgbe, a senior superintendent pharmacist; and Mr Daniel Sarpong, the General Manager of Top-Up Pharmacy.

Appreciation

The Medical Director of the Tema General Hospital, Dr. Richard Anthony, who received the items on behalf of the facility, expressed appreciation for the donation.

He said he was particularly grateful to the management of the hospital for responding promptly to calls made to it for support.

“I am really happy that you have responded to our call on time. These items also came in handy and will do us a lot of good. We hope to receive a lot of support from you,” he said.

Dr. Anthony also commended the efforts of other individuals and organisations helping in diverse ways to curtail the spread of the virus and thereby protect fellow citizens.

“A few days ago, we received a vehicle from the COVID-19 Trust Fund, all through the donations of benevolent Ghanaians. We remain grateful to everyone,” he added.

Disease may linger

Dr Anthony also emphasised that the virus might linger on for a long while and called on Ghanaians to observe all the safety protocols to help contain the spread.

“It is the responsibility of everyone to observe these protocols to be able to defeat the virus,” he stated.