Traditional Medicine Practice Council intensifies crackdown on unlicensed practitioners in Ghana

The Traditional Medicine Practice Council (TMPC) is intensifying efforts to regulate the traditional medicine sector in Ghana, warning of significant public health risks posed by unlicensed operators and substandard products. Registrar Yakubu Tobor Yusuf revealed that less than 15 percent of the estimated 100,000 traditional medicine practitioners in the country are currently registered with the council.

In collaboration with the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), the TMPC is working to identify and remove unqualified practitioners. Recent enforcement actions include the withdrawal of a bitter herbal product found to contain undisclosed sildenafil citrate, an aphrodisiac, and regulatory concerns regarding Omama Herbal. The council has inspected over 500 premises, closing some that posed health risks.

To improve oversight, the TMPC has opened new regional and district offices and is engaging practitioner associations. The council advises the public to verify licenses, which must be displayed on walls and include a scannable QR code, and warns against purchasing unregistered medicines marketed on social media.