Mr John Laryea Odai-Tettey, Ashanti Regional Head of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), has asked suppliers and dealers in medical devices to register their products with the authority.
The directive is part of measures to safeguard public health, a breach that constitutes an offence that could endanger the health of the public.
He pledged the authority’s commitment to go after perpetrators as required by the law.
Mr Odai-Tettey was addressing the leadership of the Ghana Medical Suppliers and Dealers Association, when they paid a courtesy call on him at his office, in Kumasi.
The visit formed part of efforts to strengthen collaboration between members of the association and the regulator with the aim of working together for the common good of the public.
Mr Odai-Tettey underlined the need for suppliers, importers, and distributors of medical devices to always ensure their products were duly registered with the FDA in the interest of public safety.
He reminded them that whereas they were doing business to earn a living, their activities must not put users of their products at risk or aggravate the conditions of people seeking medical help.
He said Section 118 of the Public Health Act, 2012 enjoined dealers in herbal and medicinal products, cosmetic, medical devices, and other non-food items to register such products.
“A person shall not manufacture, prepare, import, export, distribute, sell, supply or exhibit for sale a drug, herbal medicinal product, cosmetic, medical device or household chemical substance, unless the article has been registered by the Authority,” he quoted to buttress his point.
Mr Odai-Tettey further stated that even the premises where such items were stored must also be licensed to ensure the safety parameters of the manufacturer were maintained to preserve the quality of the products.
He said the FDA’s mandate of ensuring compliance and enforcement of the laws regulating the consumption and use of food and drugs was to protect the public from fake and substandard products and urged the leadership of the Association to help check nefarious activities of recalcitrant members.
The Regional Head of FDA said the cooperation of all stakeholders could help weed out unscrupulous characters bent on pursuing their parochial interest at the expense of the larger society.
Nana Kwame Amoanyame, President of the Association appealed to the FDA to organise sensitisation training to educate its members on the regulations and registration processes.
That, he said, was the way to minimise the importation and distribution of unwholesome products.
He assured the FDA of their commitment to work closely with the Authority to collectively sanitise the industry to promote public health.
