The Traditional Medicine Practice Council (TMPC) has issued a strong warning against the sale and use of unwholesome traditional medicines, citing serious risks to public health, as the Council intensifies collaboration with the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) to flush out unlicensed operators from the sector.
Registrar of the TMPC, Yakubu Tobor Yusuf, said the Council and the FDA are working jointly to identify and remove unlicensed practitioners from the traditional medicine space, with seized unwholesome medicines set to be destroyed as part of the ongoing enforcement effort.
Addressing individuals engaged in the sale of substandard traditional medicine products, the Registrar issued a pointed caution against exploiting Ghanaian consumers through the distribution of unsafe products.
“Don’t take advantage of Ghanaians, do not sell things that are unwholesome to Ghanaians, you are risking public health.”
Yakubu Tobor Yusuf
Ministry Of Health Directive On Public Safety
Yusuf stressed that safeguarding the credibility and safety of traditional medicine in Ghana requires the removal of unlicensed and unqualified operators from the sector, noting that while some products in circulation have undergone proper testing, others have been found to be adulterated with undisclosed and potentially harmful substances.
“Traditional medicine needs to be protected, and in order to protect it effectively, you need to kick out the quacks, some of these products are tested, while others are adulterated,”
Yakubu Tobor Yusuf
Citing recent enforcement actions, the Registrar referenced the FDA’s withdrawal of a bitter herbal product found to contain sildenafil citrate, a substance used as an aphrodisiac and prescribed for erectile dysfunction, which had been discovered in the product without disclosure.
He also referenced an earlier case involving a separate product known as Omama Herbal, which similarly raised regulatory concerns.
Yusuf indicated that the Ministry of Health has made clear that such practices will not be tolerated, disclosing that the Health Minister had personally directed swift action to address the issue, emphasising that nothing takes precedence over the protection of public health.
He said that as part of the Coucil’s ongoing crackdown, an announcement process is being coordinated with the media, following a recent enforcement operation on the market that uncovered what he described as troubling findings.
Legal Penalties for Unlicensed Practice
Outlining the legal consequences facing violators, the Registrar explained that individuals found practising traditional medicine without a valid licence face significant sanctions under existing law.
He noted that summary conviction for such an offence can attract a penalty of approximately 500 penalty units, a prison term of up to two years, or both, depending on the severity of the violation.
“If you practise without a licence, you could go to jail for two years, this is something most practitioners take for granted.”
Yakubu Tobor Yusuf
Council’s Approach; Correction Before Prosecution
Despite the severity of the potential penalties, Yusuf explained that the Council’s general approach favours helping practitioners rectify compliance issues where possible, rather than moving immediately toward prosecution.
However, he noted that enforcement action becomes necessary in more serious cases, citing an ongoing example in the Volta Region where a practitioner had recently been arrested and taken into police custody, with the case set to proceed before the courts.
He reiterated that such individuals could face the full range of prescribed penalties, up to 500 penalty units, a maximum two-year prison term, or both, depending on the specific circumstances and severity of the violation established during investigation.
With the Volta Region arrest already underway and further disclosures expected once compliance procedures are finalised, the TMPC’s crackdown appears set to continue in the coming weeks.
The Council’s collaboration with the FDA suggests a sustained, coordinated effort to remove unlicensed operators and unsafe products from Ghana’s traditional medicine sector, as authorities work to restore public confidence in a segment of healthcare that remains widely used across the country.
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