The Registrar of the Medical and Dental Council (MDC), Dr Divine Banyubala, has disclosed that the council is currently investigating 31 disciplinary cases involving 46 medical practitioners, with nearly two-thirds of the complaints relating to allegations of medical negligence.

He made the disclosure when members of Parliament's Health Committee paid a working visit to the council to acquaint themselves with its regulatory and disciplinary work.

According to Dr Banyubala, data from the council shows that 64% of the cases before its disciplinary committee involve accusations of substandard or negligent medical practice.

"Currently at the disciplinary level, we have a total of 31 cases involving 46 practitioners. In the courts, we have two cases at the High Court, two cases at the Circuit Court. We attended court four times during the second quarter," he stated.

Providing an overview of the council's disciplinary activities, Dr Banyubala said the council had received 35 new complaints in the first quarter of the year and five additional cases in the second quarter. During the period, 12 cases were considered, two were referred to the disciplinary committee, and five were concluded.

He also disclosed that the council is conducting an undercover investigation into one case but declined to provide details because investigations are ongoing.

Beyond medical negligence, the registrar said the council also deals with practitioners convicted of criminal offences, explaining that such convictions could result in a practitioner being struck off the medical register if they bring the profession into disrepute.

"You may commit a crime completely outside your professional work, but once there is proof of conviction, the committee has to determine whether it is honourable for such a person to remain a member of the profession and what that does to the reputation of the profession," he explained.

Dr Banyubala noted that practitioners convicted of serious offences, including second-degree felonies such as murder, are unlikely to be allowed to continue practising after serving their sentences.

He further identified professional boundary violations between healthcare providers and patients as another growing area of concern, alongside cases involving general professional misconduct.

"We have a serious issue around professional-patient boundary relationship issues, and we hope to continue advancing that conversation with your support," he said.

The Medical and Dental Council is the statutory body responsible for regulating the training and practice of medical and dental professionals in Ghana and ensuring adherence to professional and ethical standards.