Our Regulator for today is the Medical and Dental Council (the “Council”). The Council is governed by the Health Professions Regulatory Body Act, 2013(Act 875) (the “Act”) and it is responsible for training, registering and licensing Medical and Dental practitioners in Ghana.
The health practitioners that are required to register with the Council are:
- Doctors;
- Dentist;
- Physician Assistants; and
- Anaesthetists
The Council is mandated by the Act to register these practitioners and a person cannot practice as a medical or dental practitioner, physician assistant or a certified registered anaesthetist unless that person has registered with and obtained the appropriate licence from the Council. The licence is valid for a year and it must be renewed before the end of every calendar year.
Failure to register with the Council before commencing practice is an offence punishable by a term of imprisonment of not more than 20 years or a fine of at most GHS 120,000 or both.
It is important to note that all foreign trained medical or dental practitioners, physician assistants and certified anaesthetists are required to register with and obtain a licence from the Council before they can practice in Ghana.
Furthermore, the above health practitioners are also guided by the Public Health Act, 2021(Act 851) and the Mental Health Act, 2012 (Act 836) in their practice.
