There is something in vogue on almost all television and radio platforms that must engage the attention of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), the National Media Commission (NMC) and the National Communications Authority (NCA) and to some extent the Consumer Protection Agency if it is not comatose yet.
Someone may ask: why am I up in arms against these institutions? I am seriously angry because these institutions have responsibilities as regulatory bodies to protect consumers of food and drugs, content on radio and television as well as safeguard the interest of the consuming public.
The FDA for instance is mandated and empowered by law to ensure that all products on the market are safe for human consumption.
And here again, one may ask about my beef with the NCA and the NMC? The NCA and the NMC have the sole mandate to grant the spectrum for radio and television broadcast, and regulate content on these networks respectively.
These are very heavy and deep responsibilities to ensure the safety of consumers and make sure that only wholesome content finds space on our airwaves. Perhaps, the FDA is happy with the trend on our airwaves where the efficacy of every herbal preparation is espoused by characters calling themselves “doctors”.
I am convinced that the advertisements we see on television have the endorsement of the FDA because after the publicity, these companies indicate to the attention of all that this advert is “FDA approved.”
The people of Ghana need some education on the ethics of the health profession. Herbal medicine is not part of orthodox medical practice. Medical doctors and pharmacists are not allowed by their ethics to promote their activities on radio and television.
After years of public agitation, the government then created the herbal medicine secretariat at the Ministry of Health to regulate the practice. But it appears that the Ministry of Health and the FDA lack the capacity to regulate medicine use, be it orthodox or traditional medicine in the country.
It is not wrong to say that the FDA, NCA and the NMC as well as the Ministry of Health have gone to sleep, thus, exposing consumers to all kinds of risks.
We are faced with many health challenges because of poor health infrastructure and high cost of medical care, making traditional medicine without the standards attractive to those in need of health care.
Are we safe? Certainly not because everyday thousands of people throng these herbal medicine joints based on the unsubstantiated claims made on radio and television which end with the “endorsement” of the FDA.
In my view, as for the NCA and the NMC, they have lost their regulatory bite by capitulating to the impunity of these herbal medicine manufacturers. Nobody doubts the contribution of some herbal medicine practitioners to healthcare in the nooks and crannies of the country.
But the present carefree attitude of the regulators put all of us at risk. I am not surprised at the behaviour of the regulators because once upon a time, the NCA and the NMC looked on while some unscrupulous persons showcased their skills in doubling money and human sacrifice for riches.
We all recall the reasons given by some young lads in Kasoa for murdering their colleague. These boys said they heard about how to make money by performing rituals with human parts. These institutions better take a cure before the healthcare system is put at risk.
Interestingly we have as a country, the Ghana Standards Authority but there are hardly any standards in Ghana. Let the Ghana Standards Authority tell us the standards for doors in the country and I will dash my small pay to the staff.
Traders have a field day.
Has anybody checked with the wife or househelp about prices of food items on the market? The prices have reached the roof while our farmers wallow in poverty. Sometimes their wives return home with cassava, maize, palm fruits, plantain and tomatoes as well as pepper because the prices have collapsed.
Yet traders in Accra and other major cities would lament low sales because of high transportation cost and the declining value of the cedi. They are selling “koko”, groundnut (both roasted and cooked), kenkey, roasted plantain, yam and maize on the increasing rate of the dollar.
The Ghana Statistical Service calculates the consumer index based on the prices on the market that do not represent the true inflationary trends in the country. The picture being painted about the economic situation is based on the manipulations of some traders and politicians.
It is a fact that we have challenges but the traders are over exploiting the economic situation to credit disaffection for the government and promote the agenda of some politicians. The cure lies in the hands of the government if it whips its appointees to deliver on their mandate.
Oyerepa TV
The NCA and the NMC have remained adamant about the irresponsible manner in which the Oyerepa TV churns out its content. Auntie Naa has reduced the studios of the Oyerepa TV into a courthouse with the active connivance of some policemen in Kumasi.
Whether the support of the police in this regard has the approval of IGP Akuffo Dampare, we cannot tell. But we can conjecture or assume that since he is not asking his men to desist from the practice, it would not be far from wrong to say it has his approval. The Judicary to is quiet while someone usurp their powers.
As for the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, it sees nothing wrong with it. The fact that we are satisfied with the justice system does not mean we should sanction the wrong thing.