The Ghana Association of Certified Registered Anaesthetists (GACRA) has issued a warning to a group calling itself “Physician Assistants and Certified Registered Anaesthetists Group” over what it describes as impersonation by the latter.

According to GACRA, the Physician Assistants and Certified Registered Anaesthetists Group has been illegitimately presenting itself as the body representing the interests of certified registered anaesthetists in Ghana, thereby misleading the public.

The Ghana Association of Certified Registered Anaesthetists has therefore issued a legal notice to the Physician Assistants and Certified Registered Anaesthetists Group to “cease and desist” from holding itself as a representative group for the certified registered anaesthetists.

In a press statement and accompanying legal notice addressed to the group, GACRA reaffirmed its legal and exclusive mandate to represent certified registered anaesthetists in Ghana.

The association cited its registration under the Companies Act, 2019 (Act 992) and its recognition as a union with both a Trade Union Registration Certificate and a Collective Bargaining Certificate under the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651).

“Our attention has been drawn to a group actively impersonating GACRA and misleading the public by purporting to represent Certified Registered Anaesthetists in Ghana,” said the statement signed by James Nwinsagra, the President, and Joshua Annovi Kunfah, Vice Secretary of GACRA.

“This conduct is not only unlawful and deceptive but also threatens the integrity of professional standards and public sector negotiations,” it added.

GACRA indicates that its checks revealed that the Physician Assistants and Certified Registered Anaesthetists Group has no legal registration, is not recognised as a trade union, and does not possess a collective bargaining certificate, yet has been posing as representing the interests of GACRA by aligning with the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association.

The association distanced itself entirely from the group’s activities, warning health professionals and stakeholders that any engagement with the unrecognised body is done entirely at their own risk.

In the association’s legal notice served through its counsel and copied to the Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Service, National Labour Commission, and the Chief Labour Officer, GACRA directed the group to “cease and desist from all conduct or representation” that implies it has any authority to act on behalf of Certified Registered Anaesthetists.

Consequently, GACRA has given the group a 10-working-day ultimatum to comply or face legal action, including possible criminal prosecution for impersonation and fraudulent misrepresentation.

“This letter is not a waiver of any legal rights. Should this conduct persist, our client will pursue the fullest legal remedies available,” the letter warned.