Medical Council to root out fake doctors with special stamps

The Dental and Medical Council has said it will introduce practitioners' stamps in July 2016, to help weed out quack doctors operating in the country. This follows reports that a man claiming to be a doctor was arrested after practicing medicine for 20 years without a licence.

Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, the Registrar of the Council, Dr. Eli Kwasi Atikpui, said, “by July this year, we would have introduced practitioner stamps so when you go into an institution and you are examined and given a prescription, a stamp will be affixed on your transcription from. This is something that we are doing.”

Health facilities could display proof of sanction 

Dr. Atikpui also indicated that the Ghana Health Service and the Health Facilities Regulatory Agency could play a part in attempts to rid the system of the quack doctors by having all health facilities display a proof of sanction.

The Health Facilities Regulatory Agency is mandated to receive, consider and approve applications for licenses per the Health Facilities Regulatory Agency Act 829.

“If that institution is registered by the Health Facility Regulatory Agency, we can have something displayed there indicating that this is an accredited institution which could be renewed every three years or whatever,” he stated.

Dr. Atikpui however noted that the regulation of health facilities was not the responsibility of his outfit but indicated that the Dental and Medical Council will be playing its part with the introduction of the practitioner stamps in July.

Public should demand licenses of practitioners

The Dental and Medical Council may eventually start requesting that doctors in specific institutions display their registration certificates as additional measures according to Dr. Atikpui.

He also urged the public to be vigilant and demand the licenses of practitioners if they had any reason to suspect any fraud.

“You have the right to challenge anybody who puts his or her hand on you to examine you and prescribe for you as a doctor. If the person wants to prove a little difficult, you call the medical and dental council offices and we can check,” Dr. Atikpui stated.

‘Fake doctor arrested’
The Dental and Medical Council's remarks followed reports in the Daily Graphic that a special task force they set up reportedly arrested a quack doctor believed to have practiced for more than two decades without a license and a certificate.

The man in question, one Adams Arimeyaw, was allegedly was arrested at Madina where he operated a healthcare facility from a compound house.

But Citi News’ checks revealed that Adams Arimeyaw, was not arrested .

The alleged faked doctor
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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana