ABSTRACT
Radio is know-how that comes with low manufacturing costs, and low infrastructure costs and its marginal cost of distribution is very low which is close to zero. This study was conducted to examine the rate at which radios advertise medical services and products; the factors that promote the patronage of radio-medicine and evaluate the effects of radio-medicine on people who patronize it. The study took place at Agogo by interviewing 50 people belonging to 10 different professional groups as follows: Farmers, Drivers, shopkeepers, tailors/seamstresses, teachers, hairdressers, barbers, market women, students and the unemployed. Through SPSS, the data was analyzed and the result indicated that 44.0% listen to radio once a day, 14.0% listen every hour, and 42.0% listen all day. On the reasons for patronizing radio-medicine, 24% bought per testimonies shared from others, 12% said it is easy to patronize, 12.0% do that for affordability and effectiveness, 8.0% said it is good, 4.0% were highly convinced by suppliers, 4.0% patronized because there are no side effects, 12.0% were for just trials, 10.0% said there is no time to go to the hospital, 8.0% did so because they had minor conditions and 6.0% patronized for first aid and relieve of symptoms. In addition, 68.0% agreed that the medicine worked for them as expected but 32.0% agreed that the medicine did not work as expected. It was concluded that most people listen to radio all day and most of them participate, in medicines advertised on the radio, because of testimonies shared by others. Even-though majority of the respondents thought they could be affected they did not care about it. Recommendations have been made to the Ministry of Health to regulate radio-medicine and its patronage and also for further research by research institutions.