You can obtain medication in all places licensed to sell drugs by the Ghanaian Pharmacy Council.
There are 5 types of legal pharmacies that provide safe, quality medicines:
- Retail pharmacies
- Wholesale pharmacies
- A mixture of retail and wholesale pharmacies
- Pharmacies within a medical structure (clinic, hospital etc)
- Manufacturing wholesale pharmacies
It is not recommended you buy medicine at any sources other than these ones.
According to the type of pharmacy you may only be able to buy over-the-counter (OTC) medicines. Only certain pharmacies are licensed to dispense prescription drugs.
You may only get medicines that are legally registered by the Food and Drugs Board of Ghana. A list of all the registered products and medicines that can legally be sold in Ghana is available on the Food and Drugs Board website.
You should be aware of which drugs are legally allowed in Ghana, it could be your prescription from home isn’t valid.
Some drug costs are covered by the public insurance scheme, but this coverage remains limited. You must check the NHIS list, which states which medication is covered. If the medicine you need is part of the list, you will be able to get your prescribed drug in all accredited places without paying, and the pharmacy will contact the insurance later in order to get the related payment.
It is possible to buy oral contraceptives in Ghana, even though they are not widely used. Condoms, contraceptive injections and the Pill are available in Ghana, though may be hard to find, especially outside the major cities.