The Health Facilities Regulatory Agency (HeFRA) has begun a major enforcement exercise across the Greater Accra Region, closing down several health facilities operating without valid licenses.
The operation, part of a broader nationwide inspection, has exposed worrying regulatory lapses in Ghana’s healthcare system. Some facilities were found to be functioning with licenses that expired as far back as 2015.
HeFRA officials, accompanied by police personnel, began the exercise with an unannounced visit to the Life Healthcare Centre inside the Accra Mall. Patients were receiving treatment when inspectors discovered that the facility’s license had expired ten years ago.
Although management claimed the renewal process was underway, officials were unconvinced and ordered the immediate closure of the centre. Another branch of the same company at Junction Mall, operating under a slightly altered name, was also locked down.
Under the Health Institutions and Facilities Act, “No person shall operate a facility unless the facility is licensed under this Act.” HeFRA officials emphasized that the law allows no exceptions.
The team proceeded to Med-line Medical Laboratories at Ashaley Botwe, where the license had expired in July 2024. More than a year later, the facility was still operating illegally. Police officers escorted staff out of the premises as management failed to respond to calls from inspectors.
At Covenant Clinic Limited in Madina, inspectors described the conditions as unsafe, citing peeling paint, leaking roofs, and an open washroom inside the ward. The clinic also had no valid license and was promptly shut down.
The Doku Addy Memorial Clinic was the next to fall under the hammer after officials confirmed it was operating without a permit.
HeFRA has vowed to sustain the clampdown, warning that all unlicensed health facilities nationwide will face similar sanctions.
The operation has reignited public concern about patient safety and regulatory oversight in Ghana’s healthcare sector, sparking questions about how many more such unregulated facilities continue to operate across the country.
source: myjoyonline
