521,000 traditional and alternative medicine practitioners operating illegally - Report

The Traditional Medicine Practice Council (TMPC) has revealed that more than 521,000 traditional and alternative medical practitioners operating in the country are operating without proper registration and licenses.

According to the Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the TMPC, Dr Michael Kyeremateng, out of about 95,000 traditional and alternative medicine practitioners and institutions captured in the council’s database, only 15 to 20 percent are registered, licensed, and in good standing to operate in the country, graphic.com.gh reports.

The report added that the practitioners and institutions that are operating illegally constitute more than 80 percent of the local traditional and alternative medicine industry.

Dr Kyeremateng expressed concern about the rate at which the unauthorised practitioners flood the airwaves to advertise their institutions and products.

“Currently, in Ghana, we know that we have over 60 to 70 per cent of our population accessing traditional and alternative medical centres for primary healthcare. Issues escalate before they move on to any other allopathic centres for emergencies. You realise that the life of the average Ghanaian is at risk because of so many mushroom clinics, hospitals, and practitioners occupying our airwaves without the requisite certification. The uncontrolled springing up of unlicensed practitioners posed a national security threat because it puts the lives of the many Ghanaians who seek medical care from these mushroom premises and practitioners at risk,” he stated.

He added that the TMPC had rolled out an advocacy campaign to sanitise the system and streamline the services of the practitioners.

“We have taken steps to do the monthly publication of all certified practitioners and their premises on our website and in major newspapers to inform Ghanaians so that before they buy any product or enter any facility," he explained.

The traditional and alternative industry is made up of health shops that trade in traditional and alternative medicines, spas, wellness centres such as gyms, massage parlours, healing camps, psychic healers, herbalists, medical herbalists , training institutes, homeopathic clinics, chiropractic clinics, acupuncture clinics and centres, Ayurvedic clinics, naturopathic clinics organic shops.

It is regulated by Section 38 of Act 575 of the Traditional Medicine Practice Act 2000 as per ministerial policy and administrative guidelines in the regulations of complimentary/alternative medicine in 2010.

JKB/AE

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