Traditional Medicine Practice Council closes three herbal shops in Cape Coast

The Traditional Medicine Practice Council (TMPC) has closed down three herbal medicine shops in Cape Coast for operating with expired licenses, some of which had lapsed as far back as four years ago. The affected establishments include Pennah Herbal Shop, Dank Natural Healthcare, and God is Able Herbal Centre. This enforcement exercise is part of a wider nationwide initiative by the Council to bring the herbal medicine sector into compliance with national regulatory and public health standards.

According to Nicholas Annan, the TMPC’s Compliance, Enforcement, and Inspection Officer, the closures were necessary because the operators had failed to renew their permits despite the significant amount of time that had passed. Mr. Annan noted that while some licenses were only recently out of date, others had been expired for three to four years. He clarified that the exercise is not intended to harass or unfairly burden practitioners but is a crucial step in upholding the integrity of the industry and ensuring that traditional medicine services are provided safely to the public.

The TMPC has signaled that similar enforcement activities are currently underway in other regions as part of its mandate to monitor and regulate the practice of traditional medicine in Ghana. For the three shops closed in Cape Coast, the Council will conduct follow-up inspections to ensure that all licensing requirements are met before they are allowed to reopen. Practitioners across the country are being urged to proactively renew their operational documents to avoid being caught in the ongoing regulatory crackdown.