The Ghana Allied Health Professions Council (GAHPC) has warned that health facilities who engage the services of unqualified professionals risk being shut down and the necessary sanctions applied.
GAHPC said it would not countenance facilities that fail to adhere to laws governing their operations.
The council has intensified its monitoring and has vowed to weed out practitioners who do not have the requisite certification to practice.
Officials of the council visited the Ashanti Region to monitor the activities of health facilities as part of a nationwide exercise to rid unqualified practitioners of the health system.
Reports about quack medical practitioners finding their way into the country’s public and private health system come up from time to time, with some of these practitioners being found out by the law.
The operations of such unlicensed health professionals continue to pose danger to unsuspecting clients who patronize their services.
The Allied Health Professions Council, a body mandated by an act of Parliament to ensure high standards in the practice of allied health services in Ghana, described as worrying the activities of unlicensed health professionals in the country’s health system.
Officials of the Council visited sixteen private medical laboratories situated close to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) out of which only one was in good standing.
The other fifteen facilities had engaged the services of unlicensed health professionals – a situation the Registrar of the Allied Health Professions Council, Dr. Samuel Yaw Opoku, described as worrying.
“I am so disappointed because a place like Kumasi, a primary area like opposite Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, most of the facilities there are keeping staff who are not qualified to be there. In fact, we have visited 16 facilities and I can say that just about three or four have some of their staff members registered and licensed. The rest are keeping people whose qualification we cannot validate, they are not registered with the council. So, in effect what they are doing is illegal and we are going to take steps to ensure that those who qualify will have to go through the licensing procedure as soon as possible while, those who don’t qualify, we will make sure that they are removed from the system”.
At some of the facilities, the services of National Service personnel were employed to cater to patients, while at other facilities, the practitioners had expired licenses.
The team met the management of the facilities and asked them to take steps to correct the wrongs.
Dr. Samuel Yaw Opoku said the council will not sit back and allow unqualified practitioners to tamper with the lives of unsuspecting clients who patronize their services.
“The advice is so simple– if you want to run a health facility, it is just important that you get people who are qualified and licensed to employ. If today, you buy a commercial vehicle and you are looking for somebody to drive, you only look for somebody who has a driver’s license. So, the same way if you have a health facility and you are looking for people to work in that facility, the most logical way is to look for people who have been certified to work. Anything short of that, then you will be infringing on the laws of the country”.
He indicated that the council will enforce the laws and also apply the sanctions appropriately. He further said the exercise will not be a nine-day wonder as it will be done nationwide.
Managers of the facilities who declined interviews assured the Council that they will comply with the rules of engagement.