The Authority, through its Acting Regional Head, Mr Abel Ndego, who issued the stern caution, observed that some owners of OTC medicine shops who indulged in the act of admitting and treating clients were health professionals.

“Some of you have converted your facilities, which are supposed to be OTC medicine shops, into clinics. We have had the unpleasant opportunity of dealing with a few of you with respect to that.

“We got to the facilities, and they were giving drips to people. You need to understand that your operations are within a certain framework, and you must work within that to ensure that all your operations are within the ambit of the law,” he admonished.

Mr Ndego gave the caution at a training workshop organized by the FDA for pharmacy and OTC medicine sellers in the Bolgatanga Municipality as part of measures to ensure proper regulatory compliance in the Region.

The one-day workshop was intended to help pharmacy operators and OTC medicine sellers to understand their legal obligations under Act 851 of the Public Health Act 2012.

It was also to sensitize participants on FDA’s guidelines for pharmacies and OTC medicine operators to promote public health and safety through responsible retail practices and avoid regulatory violations and penalties.

Mr Ndego took them through the Public Health Act and insisted that even if the operator of the OTC shop was a qualified medical doctor, the facility was not accredited for management of patients.

“It is not permitted; your facility is an OTC shop. It is not a treatment or admission centre. If you want to open a clinic, there are procedures that you follow to open a clinic, and it would be accredited as such.

“But as long as you have been given a license to operate as an OTC medicine seller, restrict your activities to OTC medicine seller,” the Acting Head told participants.

Mr Ndego noted that the FDA does not compromise on illegal practices and would not hesitate to take immediate regulatory actions against victims, adding that it was important for the shop operators to appreciate that there were certain things they could not do.

He further cautioned against the sale of expired medicines and urged them to inspect expiry date embossments on consignments they received, to ensure the shelve life on the products was enough for them to sell.

“If for any reason you are unable to sell all your products, once they are expired, you do not need to keep them on your shelves. Because anything that is displayed on the shelve is intended for sale,” Mr Ndego said.

Mr Alfred Nyantakyi, the Upper East Regional Director of the Pharmacy Council of Ghana, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the issue, disclosed that two OTC medicine shops in the Talensi District were reported to the Council for operating as clinics.

“We did our investigation and found out that it was true, so we closed the facilities. But because there was change of government, Council is yet to reconstitute its committee. So, the case has been forwarded to Accra, pending disciplinary action,” he said.

Mr Ibrahim Wuni Mahama, the Bolgatanga Municipal Chairman of the OTC Medicine Sellers Association, thanked the FDA for the training, and said the knowledge gained would help them improve on their operations.

In an interview with the GNA, Mr Mahama admitted that leadership of the Association was aware some members treated clients in their OTC medicine shops and that the Association reported to the Pharmacy Council.

“These acts are perpetrated by the new OTC medicine sellers who are mostly health professionals. They think that they can practice their profession in the shops. It is not allowed. If any member is arrested, the Association will not intervene,” he warned.