Fake doctor arrested at Madina

Officials of the Medical and Dental Council, in collaboration with the Police, have apprehended a quack doctor operating at a clinic in Madina, a suburb of Accra.

The suspect Adams Arimiyaw was spotted treating patients at the Covenant Clinic on October 25, 2017.

Arimiyaw was first arrested in May last year for operating illegally.

Reports from the Medical and Dental Council revealed that even though accused claimed he had been trained in Europe, he could neither mention the name of the institution nor the date of completion.

He has also not been registered by the Medical and Dental Council, the regulatory body.

The arrest

Narrating the arrest to the media, Dr Eli Kwasi Atikpu, Registrar of the Council, said on May 26, 2016 last year, the Medical and Dental Council, as part of its routine visit to some health facilities in the city, spotted a clinic at the Madina Public Cemetery area behind the Galaxy Filling Station with the name Covenant Clinic.

They met suspect Adam Arimiyaw in the consulting room, who introduced himself as a medical doctor of the facility.

He said the team, after introducing themselves to the suspect and their mission, demanded certificates.

The team also discovered that the accused was operating the facility with two female nurses, whose names he failed to provide.

“He also operated as a medical officer, pharmacist and laboratory technician.”

The registrar said Arimiyaw was arrested and handed over to the regional police command for prosecution.

“Needles and syringes, both used and unused, assorted drugs, pregnancy test kits, laptop, various types of forceps, dilapidated sterilizing machine, and other unidentifiable equipment, books, patients folders, among others, were seized at the health facility by the team.

Further search also revealed that there was another apartment, which served as recovery ward with three cubicles containing six hospital patient beds.

Samples of the drugs and other items were taken away by the Police to assist in prosecution.

He was provisionally charged with willfully and falsely using the title “Dr” to practice medicine or dentistry without being registered contrary to the Health Professions Regulatory Bodies Act and pleaded not guilty to both counts in court.

The accused was granted bail in the sum of GH?50,000.00 with one surety, who is supposed to be a public servant earning not less than GH?2,000.00 a month.

He stopped appearing before the court and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest.

October 25, 2017, officials of the Medical and Dental Council, through the routine checks at Madina, discovered that the clinic they closed months ago had been reopened.

The officials, led by the Administrative Manager-Investigations, Bright Atsu-Fuglo, entered the facility and saw Mr Adams Arimeyaw practicing in the facility again.

When they posed questions to him as to who gave him the permission to reopen the facility, Amiriyaw said nothing and was arrested and sent to the Madina Divisional Police Command.

The accused was later handed over to the Accra Regional Command of the Ghana Police Service together with some exhibits from the facility.