A 1-day prevalence survey of the drug prescribing patterns for 45 in-patients of the Tarkwa Government Hospital was undertaken in November 1995. An average of 3.6 drugs were prescribed per patient. The commonest prescribed drugs were paracetamol, chloroquine, amoxycillin, gentamicin and ampicillin. Of 162 drug items prescribed, 93.2% were on the national Essential Drugs List (EDL) and 61.1% were prescribed by their generic names. Over 60% of the patients received one or more injectable drugs or antibiotics. The use of injectable drugs on the wards ranged from nil on the male surgical ward to 90.9% on the male medical ward. The most frequently prescribed injectable drugs were gentamicin, ampicillin, chloroquine, benzylpenicillin, dextrose and pethidine. The main indications for antibiotic use were post-Caesarean delivery, pneumonia, accidents, abscesses and meningitis. The findings provide the basis for monitoring drug prescribing patterns and for evaluating any interventions to improve prescribing behaviour and the treatment of diseases.