The Allied Health Professions Council (AHPC) has uncovered widespread regulatory violations in health facilities across the Sunyani Municipality, raising serious concerns about patient safety, professional integrity, and compliance within Ghana’s allied health sector.

The revelations come as part of a nationwide enforcement exercise led by the Council’s Registrar, Professor Shirazu Issahaku, to ensure strict adherence to standards governing allied health practice.

The inspection team began its operations at Heavens Diagnostic Services Limited before proceeding to the Sunyani Municipal Hospital. Across both facilities, inspectors identified critical breaches, including the engagement of an unqualified individual performing laboratory and scanning duties without the requisite training in medical laboratory science.

Further checks revealed that several practitioners were operating with expired licences and unrenewed professional PINs, some of which had lapsed for as long as three to four years.

The affected individuals have been directed to report to the AHPC office by Monday, May 25, 2026, to begin the process of regularising their credentials.

At the Sunyani Municipal Hospital, the Council issued queries to some staff at the Eye Centre for abandoning their posts, while the X-ray supervisor was ordered to suspend operations immediately pending the renewal of his professional PIN.

The AHPC emphasized that these actions are in line with its statutory mandate to safeguard public health and uphold professional standards nationwide.

In an interview with Asaase News, Professor Shirazu Issahaku expressed deep concern over the situation, describing the use of unqualified personnel, expired licences, and unsafe diagnostic environments as unacceptable and dangerous.

He warned that individuals and facilities operating without valid authorisation are in breach of the Health Professions Bodies Act, 2013 (Act 857), and will face sanctions if they fail to comply.

“Practitioners who have not renewed their PINs and facilities operating outside regulatory approval must regularise their status or face the full rigours of the law,” he cautioned.

Beyond credential-related infractions, the Council also flagged unsafe diagnostic environments and overcrowding, particularly at the Health Information Office of the Sunyani Municipal Hospital.

The AHPC noted that such conditions compromise efficient service delivery, patient confidentiality, and overall healthcare quality.

Professor Issahaku urged allied health practitioners and facility operators to cooperate fully with inspection teams and maintain up-to-date documentation, stressing that compliance is essential to strengthening healthcare delivery and restoring public confidence.

Responding to the findings, the Head of Administration at the Sunyani Municipal Hospital, Abdul Aziz Abubakar, assured that management would act swiftly to address the concerns raised.

“We will comply fully with the directives of the AHPC and ensure that the necessary corrective measures are implemented as a matter of urgency,” he said.

The AHPC reiterated that the ongoing enforcement exercise targets unlicensed practices, expired professional credentials, unsafe working environments, and breaches of approved scopes of practice.

Reporting by Daniel Donkor, Bono Region