By Edith Atiaka Eshun
The Traditional Medicine Practice Council (TMPC) has shut down several unlicensed herbal medicine facilities in parts of Ashaiman and Madina as part of an enforcement exercise aimed at protecting public health.
The operation, led by the Council’s Compliance and Enforcement Unit with support from the police, targeted herbal centres operating without valid licences and certification. In Ashaiman Atadeka, inspectors closed a herbal facility found to be operating with an expired facility licence and practitioner certificate.
Another centre was shut down for operating without registration and a valid operating licence.
The enforcement exercise also extended to roadside herbal medicine sellers, many of whom were found to be operating outside the regulatory framework governing traditional and alternative medicine practice in Ghana.
Explaining the rationale behind the operation, Head of the Compliance and Enforcement Unit of the TMPC, Michael Lawson, said the action was necessary to safeguard the public from unregulated and potentially unsafe herbal products. He warned that the Council would not hesitate to close facilities and sanction individuals who flout the law.
The Registrar of the Traditional Medicine Practice Council, Dr Yusuf Yakubu, reiterated that the TMPC is the sole regulatory body responsible for overseeing traditional and alternative medicine practice in Ghana. He stressed that all practitioners, vendors and hawkers involved in the sale of herbal medicines are required by law to obtain proper licensing and certification.
Dr Yakubu explained that Ghana operates two main healthcare systems, traditional and allopathic medicine, and that anyone providing healthcare services outside the allopathic system must be regulated to ensure safety and quality standards.
He cited Act 575, which governs traditional medicine practice in the country, warning that operating without a licence constitutes a criminal offence. He added that the compliance exercise, currently ongoing in Accra, will be extended to other regions.
The TMPC has urged all traditional and alternative medicine practitioners to regularise their operations, warning that public health will not be compromised in the interest of profit.
