Access to essential medicines is a critical component of healthcare delivery in Africa. Ghana faces persistent systemic challenges affecting the availability, affordability, and appropriate use of medicines, with implications for health outcomes. This systematic review aimed to synthesise published evidence on the key challenges affecting medicinal access and delivery in Ghana. Its objective was to identify and analyse the predominant barriers and facilitators within the pharmaceutical supply chain and wider healthcare system. A systematic literature review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Multiple academic databases were searched for peer-reviewed articles and relevant grey literature. Studies were screened against pre-defined inclusion criteria, with data extracted and analysed using thematic synthesis. The findings identify several interconnected challenges. A prominent theme was supply chain fragmentation, leading to frequent stock-outs of essential medicines in public health facilities. Financial barriers were significant, with many patients facing high out-of-pocket expenditure. Additional themes included geographical disparities in access, regulatory inefficiencies, and workforce capacity constraints. Medicinal access and delivery in Ghana are hindered by a complex system of logistical, financial, and human resource barriers. These challenges undermine the equity and effectiveness of healthcare provision. Recommendations include strengthening integrated national supply chain management, exploring sustainable health financing mechanisms to reduce out-of-pocket costs, and investing in pharmacy workforce training. Further context-specific operational research is needed. Access to medicines, drug delivery, health systems, pharmaceutical supply chain, Ghana, systematic review, Africa This review consolidates contemporary evidence on medicinal access challenges in Ghana, providing a synthesised analysis for policymakers and health planners. It contributes an African perspective to the global discourse on health system strengthening.
Agyeman-Badu et al. (Wed,) studied this question.