How to Start a Successful Patent Medicine Store in Ghana

Are you a pharmacist or you have an interest in starting a patent medicine store in Ghana? You’re definitely at the right place. In this guide, I will be sharing with you a comprehensive guide on how to start a patent medicine store in Ghana.

A patent medicine store is also called a drug store, or chemist or pharmacist in Ghana. They specialize in selling over the counter (OTC) drugs. Patent medicine stores are mostly found in remote communities or within streets; this shows that it aims to get over the counter drugs closer to the people.

You might be wondering who can open or run a drug store in Ghana? Well, a patent medicine store can be managed by people who have a good idea about drugs or have undergone a training process about drugs and their uses.

The business is quite lucrative as most people look forward to owning a patent medicine store in Ghana. To get started, you need to have a handful of knowledge about drugs.

Types of Pharmacies in Ghana

In Ghana, only five (5) kinds of pharmacy are recognized by the Pharmacy Council Ghana.

• Retail Pharmacies
• Wholesale Pharmacies
• Retail and Wholesale Pharmacies
• Pharmacies within hospitals, clinics, and any other facility that requires a pharmacy.
• Manufacturing Wholesale Pharmacies (a different application form and guidelines has been designed for this kind of Pharmacy).

All pharmacies should be supervised by registered Pharmacists in good standing with the
Pharmacy Council. In this article, we shall focus on how to start a retail pharmacy in Ghana which can also be referred to as a chemist or drug store.

How to Start a Pharmacy Store in Ghana

1. Get a Business Plan

You need to draw a feasible business plan before you start the process of owning a patent medicine store in Ghana. Your business plan will give you an insight into how you’ll run your store. It should also contain the amount you want to invest, source of funding, staff strength, marketing strategy etc.

2. Register Your Business

Just like every other business, you would need to register your pharmacy with the Registrar General’s Department. You will need to present your certificate of incorporation, certificate to commence business and companies code when applying to the Pharmacy Council.

Getting a good location is one of the requirements to get approval to run a pharmacy in Ghana. You have to get your location approved by the Pharmacy Council Ghana and secondly, you would need to consider how profitable the location is to your pharmacy business.

For approval, your structure should be geographically and structurally permanent and the accessible to all clients. A washroom must be provided within the structure or within adjoining parts of the structure.

Also, the distance between the proposed site and other retail facilities shall be 400m
by radius. The size of the proposed premises shall be at least 36sqm and ceiling height
of at least 3.2m.

4. Obtain a license from Pharmacy Council

To start a drug store in Ghana, you’ll need to get an operating license from the Pharmacy Council. One of the requirements of obtaining a license is that the proposed Superintendent Pharmacist must have done at least 12 months of post-registration practice in Ghana and must be employed full time for this proposed
pharmacy.

Without this license, you can’t operate your patent business or join other proprietary medicine vendors and distributors in Ghana.

5. Find a Reliable Drug Supplier

One of the most important aspects of running a successful pharmacy in Ghana is by getting a reliable drug supplier. Ensure you get a supplier that is also registered with the Pharmacy Council. Additionally, go for only medicines registered by the Food and Drugs Authority.

6. Advertise your business

Unlike other businesses, there are strategic laws guiding patent store adverts. Although getting people to know about your business is key for higher patronage, you have to know these laws guiding patent stores and apply them so that you will have more customers to patronize you.