Elder Dr. Samuel Amo Tobbin, Group Chairman of Tobinco Pharmaceuticals Limited (TPL), has revealed that major pharmaceutical companies did not receive support from the Akufo-Addo government during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He stated that prominent pharmaceutical companies, including TPL, Ernest Chemist, Kama Industries Limited, Kinapharma Limited, and Danpong Pharmaceutical Services, did not get any government assistance during that time, which could have eased their situation.
However, Dr. Tobbin noted that smaller pharmaceutical companies may have received some level of government support.
He advised the government to implement measures to ensure the long-term survival of local companies and prevent their collapse.
“We need to support our own companies instead of causing their downfall, as happened to me under Dr. Stephen Opuni and is happening to other businesses.
When a company starts to grow, it shouldn’t be undermined. Future governments should be flexible and support entrepreneurs,” he said.
He suggested that every government should select and support ten businesses, investing in them and including this commitment in their manifestoes.
He also noted that the country depends heavily on imported medicines because there are too few local pharmaceutical companies.
Elder Dr. Tobbin was recently exonerated after a decade-long legal battle, with the court ruling in his favor and clearing him of all allegations.
