The Medical and Dental Council (MDC) has detected fraudulent activities by some individuals who claim to have been trained as medical practitioners outside the country and are seeking approval from the council to practise in Ghana.

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So far, the MDC, which is the regulatory body for the practice of medicine and dentistry, is investigating four of such cases, with one involving the spouse of a diplomat.

At a news conference in Accra last Friday, the Registrar of the MDC, Dr Divine N. Banyubala, said the cases related to fraudulent misrepresentation and forgery.

Details

He said one of the cases involved forgery of qualifications from Nigeria and Ireland by the spouse of a diplomat, with another being fraudulent documents from Ukraine submitted to the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), and the rest relating to forgery of permanent certificates and examination results.

Council’s investigative systems have been able to detect fraudulent activities of some individuals who presented forged documents for purposes of credentialing.

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Our collaboration with other international regulatory bodies and the vigilance of our investigation team resulted in this achievement.

Vetting of their documents revealed prima facie evidence of forgery and fraudulent misrepresentation.

There were four (4) cases detected,” he said.

Under Section 31 of the Health Professions Regulatory Bodies Act, 2013 (Act 857), all foreign-trained medical or dental practitioners, physician assistants, or anaesthetists must be registered after satisfying some requirements before they can practise in Ghana.

Quack doctors

Meanwhile, four quack doctors arrested by the MDC in conjunction with the police are currently facing the law.

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They are Ebenezer Koomson, Innocent Tagbovi, Ebenezer Sarpong, and Kate Baidoo.

Giving an update on the four cases, Dr Banyubala said Ms Baidoo was arrested in 2024 for practising medicine without a licence at Osag Medical Centre at Nsakina in the Ga West Municipality, and is currently assisting police with investigations, pending prosecution.

“During police interrogation, the suspect claimed to have completed physician assistantship training at Radford University and was instructed to submit her certificate for verification, but has failed to do so. She was arrested with the support of officers from the Nsakina Police Station, Greater Accra,’ he said.

For Koomson, he said he was arrested for unlawfully practising medicine at the E&E Medical Centre in Gomoa Afransi in the Central Region, and was currently assisting the police with investigations.

“Although Mr Koomson had completed a Physician Assistant Programme, he had not sat for or passed the Council’s licentiate examination, which is a mandatory requirement for lawful practice. He was nonetheless providing medical services at the facility.

Subsequently, one Dr Stephen Ann Arthur presented himself at the police station, claiming to be the supervising physician. The District Commander accordingly ordered his arrest for aiding and abetting the unlawful practice,” he said.

With regard to Tagbovi, the MDC Registrar explained that he was arrested in February this year for practising medicine without registration at Mighty Clinic in Madina, Accra.

Sarpong, according to Dr Banyubala, was arrested for practising medicine without qualification at Goodcare Medical Centre at Swalaba near Bukom in Accra.

“On August 18, 2025, with the support of the Greater Accra Regional Police Command of the Ghana Police Service, the suspect was arrested.

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During further interrogation, Mr Sarpong stated that he had studied at Radford University, completed his programme in 2025, and had yet to be issued his certificate.

Writer’s email: emma.hawkson@graphic.com.gh

Other cases

Dr Banyubala also announced that his outfit was currently investigating nine cases, while four cases were currently pending before the law courts.

He called on the public to support the MDC in its operations by providing information on the conduct and competence of practitioners within its ambit to sanitise the system and safeguard the healthcare of people.