The Traditional Medicine Practice Council (TMPC) has revealed that there are over 521,000 unlicensed traditional and alternative medical practitioners operating in the country.
This includes about 321,000 unregistered or unlicensed traditional medicine practitioners and over 200,000 complementary alternative medical practitioners.
This contributes to more than 80 percent of practitioners and institutions who are operating illegally in the industry.
The industry comprises health shops that trade in traditional and alternative medicines, spas, wellness centres such as gyms, and massage parlours. Healing camps, psychic healers, herbalists, medical herbalists , training institutes, homeopathic clinics, chiropractic clinics, organic shops, and, others.
These practitioners are regulated by Section 38 of Act 575 of the Traditional Medicine Practice Act 2000. This is per the ministerial policy and administrative guidelines in the regulations of alternative medicine in 2010.
Dr. Michael Kyeremateng, the registrar and chief executive officer of the TMPC, indicated to the Daily Graphic in an exclusive interview last Friday that out of about 95,000 traditional and alternative medicine practitioners and institutions captured in the council’s database, just about 15 to 20 percent of them were registered.
The council was created by the Traditional Medicine Practice Act, 2000 (Act 575), to regulate traditional medicine, register practitioners, and license practices. It also regulates the preparation and sale of herbal medicines.
It was established and became operational in 2010. Since then, it has been the sole regulator of traditional and alternative medical practice in the country.
The council’s regulatory authority includes the power to certify herbal medicine, license gym operators and instructors, and license various treatment centers.
Unlicensed Herbalist on Airwaves
Dr Kyeremateng said the alarming rate that unauthorised practitioners flooded the airwaves in particular to advertise their institutions and products was even more concerning.
“Currently, in Ghana, we know that over 60 to 70 percent of our population access traditional and alternative medical centers for primary health care. Issues escalate before they move on to any other allopathic centers for emergencies.
You realize 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 license and certification,” he said.
“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 added.
He said that over the past two weeks alone, the council had clamped down on 75 operators in the Greater Accra and Eastern regions for non-compliance with regulatory requirements.
He said the council would begin to publish the list of institutions and practitioners in good standing on its website as part of measures to alert the public.
Advocacy Against Unlicensed Herbalists
Dr Kyeremateng said the TMPC had commenced an advocacy campaign to sanitise the system, and to streamline the services in collaboration with the media for the public to be aware of the dangers of seeking medical attention at unregistered centres.
“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, they should make reference to www.tmpcghana.com or the newspapers that will be doing the publication of these certified practitioners and their premises,” he said.
Dr Kyeremateng indicated that the council had since 2020 arrested 121 unregistered practitioners across the country, and had over 50 cases currently pending in court within the same period.
He clarified that “all practitioners, all attendants are not eligible to practice as medical herbalists, medical homeopaths, or medical chiropractors without a certified license from the Ministry of Health and the TMPC.”
