By Godfred Aaneamenga Polkuu
Bolgatanga, Sept. 29, GNA – The Upper East Regional Office of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), in collaboration with the Consumer Protection Agency, has seized unapproved diapers from shops across the region.
The exercise followed complaints about the quality of some diapers and concerns over their potential health implications, particularly for infants and children.
Officials of the FDA, led by Mr Jiah Jiato Juah, the Regulatory Officer 1 (RO1), rid shops and supermarkets in the Bolgatanga and Kassena-Nankana Municipalities, and the Zebilla District of the unapproved diapers.
Despite several pleads by shop owners of ignorance of the law, Mr Juah and his team, accompanied by officials of the Ghana Police Service, ignored the pleads and confiscated the unapproved diapers into their vehicles.
Mr Abel Ndego, the Acting Regional Head of the FDA, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) after the exercise, said the authority was mandated to protect public health by ensuring that regulated products met the required safety and quality standards.
“It is imperative that the authority always looks out for potential regulated products that tend to possibly have some form of health implications, especially products that have not been duly registered by the FDA,” he noted.
He said the FDA’s database of registered products enabled its officers to identify brands that were not authorised for sale in Ghana.
Mr Ndego insisted that “Any brand that does not fall within the list of registered products becomes an implicated product and should be removed from the markets.”
The exercise also targeted some brands that were registered but had entered Ghana through unapproved channels or were not intended for the Ghanaian market.
“Even if some products are registered brands, because they did not enter the country by approved means and are not meant for the Ghanaian market, they contravene the regulations and their marketing authorisation terms and conditions,” he explained.
The Acting Head further noted that such products were also liable to seizure and detention, adding that the exercise was part of efforts to reassure the public that consumer safety remained a priority for the FDA.
“We are committed wholeheartedly to ensuring that every regulated product, be it consumable, medical device or medication, meets both local and international quality and safety standards.” he said.
Mr Ndego expressed the FDA’s appreciation to the Consumer Protection Agency, the Ghana Police Service, the media and his staff for supporting the exercise.
He appealed to traders whose products were seized to understand that the action was being taken in the interest of public health.
Mr Ndego said the exercise provided opportunity for the FDA to educate traders about the risks associated with exposing unapproved products to unsuspecting consumers.
He reaffirmed the FDA’s commitment to making the Upper East Region the most regulatory-compliant region in Ghana.
Mr Ndego said the FDA would continuously commit to securing the welfare and well-being of all Ghanaians, particularly the inhabitants of the Upper East Region, and would continue to do everything within the ambit of the law to protect the region.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali/ Christabel Addo
Reporter: Godfred Aaneamenga Polkuu
Reporter’s email: [email protected]