By: Edith Atiaka Eshun
The Traditional Medicine Practice Council (TMPC) has intensified efforts to regulate traditional medicine practitioners across Ghana, amid concerns over the growing number of unlicensed practitioners and unregistered herbal products.
Speaking at Media Launch in commemoration of the 2026 African Traditional Medicine Day in Accra, the Registrar of the Council, Dr. (MH) Yakubu Tobor Yusuf, says the Council has identified more than 100,000 traditional medicine practitioners nationwide, but less than 20 percent are currently captured in its database.
He said the Council has, over the past six months, intensified district-level engagements with practitioners and their associations to improve registration and compliance.
As part of the exercise, the Council has visited more than 500 traditional medicine premises across the country. Some practitioners operating without the required licences have been closed down, while those with minor compliance issues have been given opportunities to correct them.
Dr. Yusuf said products requiring approval and certification are also being referred to the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) for further action.
The Council has expanded its presence across the country through the establishment of new regional and district offices to bring regulatory services closer to practitioners.
It has also cautioned practitioners against packaging, labelling or storing herbal preparations for wider distribution without the necessary FDA approval.
According to Dr. Yusuf, practitioners may prepare fresh, extemporaneous medicines for individual patients where their premises and practice are properly licensed. However, once such products are stored, branded or labelled for wider distribution, they fall under the regulatory mandate of the FDA.
The Council has further warned against the sale of unwholesome or adulterated herbal products, noting that some products on the market have been found to contain undeclared pharmaceutical substances that could pose serious health risks to consumers.
The TMPC says enforcement will be intensified, including the removal and destruction of products found to be unsafe or operating outside the approved regulatory framework.
Practitioners who operate without a licence could face prosecution, a fine of up to 500 penalty units, imprisonment for up to two years, or both. The Council is therefore urging the public to patronise only licensed traditional medicine practitioners and approved herbal medicines.
The Council says the ongoing exercise forms part of broader efforts to standardise traditional medicine practice in Ghana and ensure that the sector contributes safely and effectively to the country’s healthcare system.
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