It is illegal to import medical devices without authority

Accra, Aug. 25, GNA - The Food and Drugs Board (FDB), on Wednesday said that some companies and individuals were importing and distributing medical devices, which it claimed were been used for the diagnosis and treatment of various ailments in the country.

The Board said a post-market surveillance it carried out, indicated that some of the devices were detoxifying machine, blood circulation machine, and life prolongation machine.

These were contained in a statement issued in Accra and signed by Dr Stephen K. Opuni, Chief Executive Officer of FDB.

It said the importation, sale and supply of medical devices without registering them with the FDB flouted the sections of the Food and Drugs Law.

The statement said that 'No person shall manufacture, prepare, sell, supply, export or import into Ghana any drug, cosmetic, medical device or household chemical unless the article has been registered with the Food and Drugs Board.'

It said the claims being made by operators of some of these machines were that, the life prolongation machine prolonged one's life whilst the detoxification machine removed all the toxic waste from the human body - claims that could not be substantiated.

The statement said "One of the operators of the machine claimed that the toxic waste being removed from the human body includes Sulphuric Acid though there is no Sulphuric Acid in the human body (Sulphuric Acid can burn tissues)."

It cautioned the public, especially dealers and users of these devices, to note that the FDB has not registered any such device, as mandated by Law, and therefore cannot assure the public of their efficiency and safety".

The statement said investigations conducted by the FDB indicated that though some of these devices were from China, they had neither been certified by the Chinese Regulatory Authority nor being used in China.

It said the fact that these devices had not been given approval for use in China where they originated, sent dangerous signals about the veracity of the devices and the claims being made.

The statement said FDB directed companies or individual who were either using, importing or supplying these medical devices to immediately halt the practice and seek further directives from the FDB.

It assured the public of its readiness to ensure public health and safety at all times and appealed to the public to give any information on persons suspected to be in any practice that compromised public health and safety to the FDB.