By Daniel Donkor
The Allied Health Professions Council (AHPC) has uncovered serious breaches of professional standards in health facilities within the Sunyani Municipality, raising concerns about patient safety and regulatory compliance in Ghana’s allied health sector.
The findings emerged during a nationwide enforcement exercise led by the Council’s Registrar, Professor Shirazu Issahaku, aimed at ensuring strict adherence to regulations governing allied health practice.
The AHPC inspection team began its exercise at Heavens Diagnostic Services Limited before proceeding to the Sunyani Municipal Hospital.
Across the facilities, inspectors identified an unqualified individual performing laboratory and scanning duties without the required training in medical laboratory science. The team also discovered that several practitioners were operating with expired licences and unrenewed professional PINs, some of which had lapsed for as long as two to three years.
At the Sunyani Municipal Hospital, some staff at the Eye Centre were queried for abandoning their duties, while the X-ray supervisor was ordered to suspend work immediately until his professional PIN is renewed.
The Council emphasized that the exercise forms part of its statutory mandate to safeguard public health and uphold professional benchmarks across the country.
In an interview with GBC News, Professor Shirazu Issahaku expressed deep concern about the widespread non-compliance uncovered during the inspections.
He cited the engagement of unqualified personnel, expired licences, and unsafe diagnostic environments as major risks to patient safety and service delivery.
The Registrar warned that individuals and facilities operating without valid licenses are in violation of the Health Professions Bodies Act, 2013 (Act 857), and will face sanctions if they fail to comply with regulatory requirements. Those affected have been directed to report to the AHPC office by Monday, May 25, 2026, to regularize their credentials or face consequences.
“Those who do not regularise their status or continue to operate outside the law will be dealt with accordingly,” he cautioned.
Beyond credential-related issues, the AHPC also raised alarm over unsafe diagnostic environments and overcrowding, particularly at the Health Information Office of the Sunyani Municipal Hospital.
The Council noted that such conditions compromise efficiency, patient confidentiality, and the overall quality of healthcare delivery.
Professor Issahaku urged practitioners and facility operators to cooperate fully with inspection teams and ensure that all regulatory documentation is up to date.
He stressed that compliance is critical to strengthening service quality and restoring public confidence in the healthcare system.
Responding to the findings, the Head of Administration at the Sunyani Municipal Hospital, Abdul Aziz Abubakar, assured that management would act swiftly to address the concerns.
“We will comply with the directives of the AHPC and ensure that the necessary corrective measures are taken without delay,” he said.
The Council reiterated that the ongoing exercise targets unlicensed practices, expired professional credentials, unsafe working environments, and breaches of approved scopes of practice.
As inspections continue across the country, the Council has signalled its resolve to enforce standards and ensure that all allied health services in Ghana meet the required legal and professional benchmarks.
