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THE Traditional Medicine Practice Council (TMPC) has reminded and cautioned all unlicensed and illegally operating  practitioners and facilities to take steps to regularize their operations with the council within thirty (30 days) , with immediate effect, with 11thApril as deadline or have themselves to blame.

The Traditional Medicine Practice Council (TMPC) a regulatory agency of the Ministry of Health and the Statutory regulatory agency that is responsible for the promotion, control and regulation of traditional and alternative  medicine practice in the country, issued the ultimatum to  practitioners in a press statement in Accra.

The ultimatum according to TMPC took effect from March 11, where all unlicensed and illegally operating practitioners and facilities have up to April 11th as deadline to take steps to regularize their operations or face severe sanctions and other multiple penalties for contravening the law.

The statement preceded a sting inspection and enforcement exercise within Accra and its environs. Torgbuiga Yaka IV, Registrar for TMPC, reminded all traditional and alternative medicine practitioners and premises that it is mandatory for all practitioners and premises to register, be licensed and accredited by the Council, failing that would attract severe sanctions as provided by the law.

REGULATION

The law that regulates the promotion, control and regulation of traditional and alternative medicine practice and profession in the country is known as the Traditional Medicine Practice Act, Act 575, 2000.

Act 575 moreso is very explicit as espoused in clauses 9 and 17, that made it mandatory and required for all practitioners, to be licensed by TMPC, failure which is an offence that attracts severe sanctions.

MANDATE

Explaining further, the Registrar disclosed that TMPC’s mandate covers SPAs, Wellness Centres, traditional birth attendants, chemical sellers, herbalists, medical herbalists, healing prayer or camp operators, mallams, psychic spiritualists, raw material dealers, medical plant cultivators and herbal medicine manufacturers.

 

Torgbuiga Yaka IV also alerted the unsuspecting public to be wary of practitioners whose products and services they patronize, who must hold TMPC valid license and accreditation and which must be conspicuously displayed in the practice premises.

The TMPC Boss additionally assured the public that traditional medicine practitioners and the products are safe and efficacious, safe and reliable, are very noble and reliable professionals, but does neither include nor involve money doubling or magical powers that aimed to make people very rich overnight, stressing money doubling is a fraud and criminal, which must not be entertained.

The Registrar reaffirmed the Council’s determination to chase out all charlatans in the profession to instill sanity and confidence in the profession, especially as the Ministry of Health takes steps to integrate traditional and alternative medicine into an improved national healthcare delivery system for a healthy and a strong society.

RENEWALS

The Registrar reminded all practitioners to renew their licences in compliment to clauses 9 and 17, to facilitate unhindered and smooth practice.

COLLABORATION

The Registrar appealed and called on the public to effectively join hands with the Council to stamp-out quackery in the profession, saying regulation is and must be a shared responsibility between the statutory agencies and the public for the good of us all, noting, “TMPC alone cannot discharge its mandatory responsibilities effectively without the public’s co-operation, please don’t hesitate to report to the Council practitioners who  may misconduct themselves for sanctioning, our doors are open and we are obliged to ensure and safeguard public health and safety at all times”, The Registrar concluded.

BACKGROUND

TMPC is a statutory regulatory agency of Ministry of Health that is mandated to promote, regulate and control quality traditional and alternative medicine practice in the country.

TMPC derives its mandate from the Traditional Medicine Practice Act 2000, Act 575.

 

TMPC National Secretariat commenced its full regulatory operations in September, 2007, and has since not relented in instilling discipline and sanity in traditional medicine profession in the country, especially as the ministry is gradually integrating traditional and alternative medicine into an improved national healthcare delivery system in the country.