Unlicensed traditional medicine practitioners to face legal action
Dr Michael Kyeremanteng
The Traditional Medicine Practice Council (TMPC) says traditional, complementary and integrative medicine practitioners who fail to renew or secure licence with the council will face legal action.
In a statement to commemorate the African Traditional Medicine Day on August 31, 2024, the council said per Section 9 of the TMPC Act, 2000 (Act 575), it was illegal for a person to operate a premises as a practitioner or produce herbal medicine for sale without registering with the council.
The statement, signed by Dr Michael Kyeremateng, Registrar, TMPC, advised all practitioners to renew or secure licences with the council to promote public safety in the administration of herbal medicines.
“Traditional Health Practitioners (THPs) and traditional medicine are critical components of the healthcare discipline for millions of our people, especially in the rural areas.
It is through regulated practice that a meaningful contribution of the THPs in Primary Healthcare activities would be enhanced and facilitated,” the council said.
Traditional medicine refers to the knowledge, skills and practices based on the theories, beliefs and experiences indigenous to different cultures, used in the maintenance of health and in the prevention, diagnosis, improvement or treatment of physical and mental illness.
The TMPC noted that herbal treatments were the most popular form of traditional medicine and about 70 to 80 per cent of the population used herbal treatments as their source of primary healthcare.
“One-third of the population lacks access to essential medicines and the provision of safe and effective traditional medicines could become an important way of increasing access to healthcare services,” the statement said.
African Traditional Medicine Day is celebrated annually on August 31. The Day was established by the World Health Organisation in 2003 to recognise the importance of traditional medicine in Africa and to promote the integration of traditional medicine into national health systems across the continent.
The day highlights the contributions of traditional medicine to the health and well-being of African populations.
Traditional medicine, which includes herbal medicine, spiritual healing, and indigenous health practices, has been used for centuries in Africa and remains a vital component of healthcare for many communities. –GNA
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Bishop Salifu Amoako and wife arrested over their son’s accident
The Founder and General Overseer of Alive Chapel International, Bishop Elisha Salifu Amoako and her wife, Mouha Amoako have been arrested over the accident of their son which claimed two lives.
In a statement today, they revealed that “The Ghana Police Service has today 15th October 2024, arrested suspects, Bishop Elisha Salifu Amoako and Mouha Amoako, parents of the suspect driver involved in the fatal accident that claimed two lives at East Legon on Saturday, 12th October 2024.”
According to them, “Investigations have so far established that on 12th October 2024, suspect driver, Elrad Salifu Amoako, aged 16, driving a Jaguar SUV vehicle with registration number GN 7801- 20 with one other occupant, rammed into a 4×4 Acura vehicle also with registration number GR 2542 – 23, driven by Joseph Ackah with four other occupants, at Mensah Wood Street at East Legon. Both cars caught fire and burned beyond recognition.”
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
Read full statement below
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All discrepancies identified have been fixed- EC
According to the Electoral Commission (EC) they have fixed all discrepancies in the Voters Register identified during the Exhibition period.
The EC Chairperson, Jean Mensa made this revelation when addressing the issue during a live broadcast at the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, at the Alisa Hotel in Accra.
She emphasized the Commission’s commitment to ensuring public confidence in the electoral process and delivering credible elections.
Jean Mensa assured voters that the necessary corrections have been made to guarantee an accurate voter register for the upcoming 2024 general elections.
According to her, “Over the last two weeks, we have spent our energies to clean the voter register and to ensure that the information presented is accurate. Simply put, we have worked to ensure that every applicant who registered in 2023/2024 is on the voter register.”
“We are confident that the revised Provisional Voter Register that we present starting today is a marked departure from the register we presented during the exhibition exercise,” she added.
“Largely, all discrepancies identified to date have been fixed, as we promised, during our last meeting starting today, October 15, to October 19, all registered voters will have a second opportunity to review their details online and report anything they find in our district offices,” Jean Mensa revealed.
Additionally, she promised to hand over hard drive copies of the voter register to the various political parties including a template to register any discrepancies.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
