An urgent open letter to the President: Urgent call for intervention in the affairs of the Traditional Medicine Practice Council (TMPC)

His Excellency John Dramani Mahama
I write to you with deep frustration and concern regarding the state of the Traditional Medicine Practice Council (TMPC) and the ongoing challenges practitioners and associations face under its administration. The industry is currently in a state of turmoil due to unresolved issues concerning the position of the Registrar and the general operations of the Council. This has dragged on since 2024, unaddressed, and on 10th February 2025, it escalated to the National Security level. This should alert you to the pressing nature of the issue, as hostility and unresolved matters led to an unidentified complainant reporting some key stakeholders to National Security.

This situation has led to a growing lack of confidence in the regulatory body and significant unrest among practitioners. For some time now, the TMPC has been battling leadership and administrative challenges, particularly regarding the position of the Registrar. The absence of a clear and effective leadership structure has resulted in disorder, with regulatory inefficiencies causing severe setbacks for practitioners and industry stakeholders. This lack of direction and coordination has led to frustration among practitioners, many of whom have ceased complying with regulatory directives due to the Council’s perceived lack of legitimacy and functionality.

Your Excellency, this issue is of urgent concern because the TMPC is supposed to be the backbone of the regulation and promotion of traditional, herbal, and alternative medicine in Ghana. However, the ongoing leadership crisis has crippled its ability to function effectively, leaving practitioners feeling neglected, harassed, and demoralized. Without swift intervention, this unrest may escalate further, destabilizing an industry that holds significant potential for national development.

Your commitment to the advancement of herbal, traditional, and alternative medicine is clearly articulated in the NDC’s manifesto. The provisions outlined in your plan to:

1. Encourage more public universities to establish herbal medicine research departments to enhance innovation and knowledge development.
2. Mainstream research-backed herbal, traditional, and alternative medicine into patient management at district hospitals.
3. Promote local and international partnerships for improved diagnostics, medicine production, and treatment.
4. Review the Ghana Health Service and Teaching Hospitals Act 1996 (Act 525) to strengthen regulation and quality control of herbal medicine products and clinical trials.
5. Promote investment in modern scientific methods and technological innovations for the identification of active plant ingredients and the production of safe herbal medicinal products.

These commitments indicate that your government understands the importance of a well-functioning TMPC. However, the ongoing crisis at the Council threatens to derail these noble objectives.

As a result, I respectfully urge your immediate intervention to:

• Resolve the leadership crisis at TMPC by ensuring a qualified and competent Registrar is appointed without further delay.
• Reassess and restructure the operations of the Council to align with the broader vision of enhancing herbal and alternative medicine in Ghana.
• Restore trust in the regulatory framework by engaging practitioners, associations, and stakeholders in a transparent and inclusive manner.
• Address the grievances of practitioners who feel unfairly targeted or neglected by the Council’s ineffective administration.

Your Excellency, the industry is in a state of distress, and tensions are escalating. The inability of the TMPC to function effectively is pushing practitioners to disregard regulatory directives, which could have serious implications for public health and safety. Immediate and decisive action is needed to restore order and ensure that Ghana’s traditional and alternative medicine sector thrives under proper regulatory oversight.

I trust that, as a leader committed to the advancement of this sector, you will take the necessary steps to resolve this crisis. I look forward to your prompt intervention in this matter.

Yours sincerely,
Prof. Raphael Nyarkotey Obu, Esq
Professor of Naturopathy and a Lawyer
General Secretary
Ghana Alternative Medical Practitioners Association (GAMPA)