By Philip Tengzu
Wa, Nov. 14, GNA- The Upper West Regional office of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), at the weekend, arrested one Emmanuel Bapuorador, in Wa, for engaging in the production and sale of substances considered as traditional medicine without certification.
Emmanuel is said to have been producing the substance in liquid, powdered, and ointment form labeled as “God’s Blessing Herbal”.
The label indicated that the substances could cure waist pains, stomach and body pains during pregnancy, general body pains, frequent urination, malaria, fever, diarrhea, and impotency among others.
Emmanuel, who is in his mid-40s, was arrested at Zongo, a suburb of Wa, where he produced and packaged the substances in a single room.
Mr Kelvin Dafaari, the Acting Upper West Regional Head of the FDA, who led a team to arrest the suspect, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that his outfit acted upon a tip-off by a prospective consumer of the products.
“We had a call that this young man was moving around selling drugs at the Wa Magazine, so we traced and went to the Wa Magazine but when he saw us, he run away.
So, we mounted surveillance on him, and we had him on Thursday, November 10, 2022, in the night when he was somewhere selling the drugs,” he explained.
Mr Dafaari indicated that Emmanuel initially resisted arrest until he was coerced to take the team to the single room, where he produced his medicine.
“He even told us that the product was registered, we asked for the registration certificate or registration letter from the FDA, but he gave us a programme agenda, which he attended in Bono and that is what he is using and saying that FDA has registered his products,” he showed.
Mr Dafaari explained that preliminary checks on the product indicated that it was a single product with different labels and marketed as cure for different conditions.
He said the suspect had been handed over to the Police to help in the investigation after which the FDA would sanction him according to the Public Health Act and the single room, where he produced from closed.
The Ag. Regional FDA Boss explained that Emmanuel would be recommended to go through the necessary certification processes if they find out the efficacy of his medicine and checked to get a proper place of production that met the FDA standard.
Emmanuel has revealed that he hailed from Subinso, around Wenchi in the Bono Region and had been in the business for the past five years, but his products were not yet registered with the FDA.
Mr Dafaari advised the public to desist from patronizing drugs from drug peddlers since drug peddling was illegal.
“Go to the licensed Over the Counter medicine seller or pharmacy to buy drugs. Stop buying drugs from people who go around selling drugs even if they tell you they are licensed,” he admonished.
GNA