The Medical and Dental Council (MDC) is set to introduce a real-time practitioner verification system featuring QR codes and mandatory identification tags as part of efforts to eliminate quack practitioners and improve patient safety in Ghana's healthcare system.

Registrar of the council, Dr Divine Banyubala, announced the initiative during a briefing to members of Parliament's Health Committee, explaining that the new system would enable patients, health facilities and the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to instantly verify whether a healthcare professional is duly licensed and in good standing.

According to him, the reforms have become necessary due to increasing public confusion over professional titles and the activities of unlicensed practitioners.

"One of the things is that we now have nurses who may have PhDs and are addressed as 'doctor'. We have pharmacists who have completed professional programmes and use the title PharmD. The ordinary person may not know the difference and may believe they were treated by a medical doctor when that was not the case," he explained.

Dr Banyubala said every registered practitioner would be required to wear a standardised name tag clearly indicating their professional designation, such as medical doctor, dental surgeon or physician assistant, together with their registration number.

He noted that the move aligns with the Patient Charter under the Public Health Act, which guarantees every patient the right to know the identity of the person providing their healthcare.

"The Patient Charter clearly states that the patient has the right to know the identity of his or her caregiver. So it is a requirement," he said.

In addition to the identification tags, practitioners will be issued with physical and electronic professional stamps embedded with QR codes. Scanning the code will direct users to the council's register, where they can confirm whether the practitioner was licensed and in good standing at the time a prescription, laboratory request or imaging request was issued.

The registrar disclosed that the council is working with the NHIA to integrate the verification system into its reimbursement process.

He said the long-term plan is for the NHIA to reimburse only prescriptions, laboratory requests and imaging requests endorsed with the council's verified practitioner stamp.

"As it stands now, if a private facility employs quacks and they prescribe medication, once the facility is accredited, the National Health Insurance Authority will reimburse. It will not necessarily know whether the person issuing the prescription is registered or even practising within their approved scope," he said.

Dr Banyubala said the new verification platform would help prevent impersonation, ensure practitioners operate within their authorised scope of practice and strengthen public confidence in the healthcare system.

He also announced that the council is reviewing Ghana's professional and ethical standards for medical practice in collaboration with General Medical Council Services International Limited, a subsidiary of the United Kingdom's General Medical Council.

According to him, a draft of the revised professional standards has already been prepared and will be subjected to broader stakeholder consultations before being finalised.

The council believes the reforms will strengthen professional accountability, improve ethical practice and enhance patient protection across the country's health sector.