4 clinics closed in Kumasi | Health

Lake Road Clinic, a famous private health center in Atonsu in Kumasi, has been closed for non-compliance with the relevant health regulatory regime.
Consequently, the operators of the center have been arrested by the Kumasi Police Central Command for violating the Health Institutions and Facilities Act of 2011 (Law 829), established under the Health Facilities Regulatory Agency (HeFRA).

A combined task force made up of police officers, ambulance service personnel and HeFRA personnel also closed three other identified health centers in the metropolis for similar violations of the law.

This is De-Castro Home Care in Aboabo, known for its claims about treating sexually transmitted diseases; Krispat Hearing Center Ghana Limited in Oforikrom; and the Echoscan Diagnostic Center located at the entrance to the Tafo Government Hospital in Kumasi.

All four institutions were said to be operating without the required permit.

HeFRA Executive Director Dr. Phillip Bannor said all affected institutions received more than six months’ notice to register with the agency, but did not.

Lake Road Clinic

At the Lake Road Clinic, which operates out of a self-contained three-bedroom building in the Kumasi High School Junction neighborhood, three people who had come to see the “doctor” were recommended to leave and seek appropriate medical care elsewhere.

In fact, the task force realized that the facility was not operating under a license, while the general environment appeared neglected and unsanitary.

Dr. Bannor, who led the inspection team, expressed his disgust at the conditions at the center and described the environment as “a miserable situation.”

He said “there is nothing to show that the facility made any attempt to obtain a license” as the team recovered rusted operating and diagnostic kits, including scissors and a sterilizer, at the facility.

Dr. Bannor said that a lady had previously visited the center as a “mystery customer,” and it was after revelations from that visit that the team embarked on the operation to find out more.

Necessary action

Reporting to the media after the exercise, Dr. Bannor said that the exercise was made necessary because some health institutions operated under unacceptable standards, while many of them were not licensed or registered with the agency.

He said it was regrettable that several attempts made by the agency to comply with the law fell on deaf ears, adding that HeFRA would no longer allow such facilities to continue to break the law with impunity.

He appealed to the public to support the agency by reporting any health facility that is suspected of operating without a license.