The Health Facilities Regulatory Agency (HeFRA) has launched a sweeping enforcement operation across parts of the Greater Accra Region, targeting healthcare centres operating without valid licenses.
This regional clampdown, part of a broader nationwide inspection initiative, has exposed troubling gaps within Ghana’s healthcare system. Some facilities were discovered to be functioning with licenses that expired as far back as 2015.
The exercise began with an unannounced visit to Life Healthcare Centre inside Accra Mall. Patients were actively receiving care when inspectors arrived, only to find that the facility’s license had expired a decade ago.
Although the management claimed they were in the process of renewing the license, HeFRA officials were not satisfied. The centre was promptly shut down. A second branch of the same company, located at Junction Mall and operating under a slightly different name, was also closed.
Under the Health Institutions and Facilities Act, all healthcare facilities must be properly licensed. HeFRA officials stressed that the law is clear and non-negotiable.
The team next visited Med-line Medical Laboratories in Ashaley Botwe, where they discovered another expired license — this one had lapsed in July 2024. Despite being 15 months overdue, the facility was still in operation. Police officers assisted in escorting staff out as attempts to reach management failed.
At the Covenant Clinic Limited near Madina Social Welfare, inspectors were alarmed by the poor conditions: peeling walls, a leaking roof, and an exposed toilet within the patient ward. The clinic also lacked a valid license and was subsequently shut down.
The crackdown continued with the closure of the Doku Addy Memorial Clinic, which HeFRA confirmed had no authorization to operate.
HeFRA has announced that the enforcement exercise will persist throughout the Greater Accra Region and eventually roll out nationwide. Any facility found operating without a valid license will be closed immediately.
These recent findings have reignited public concern over patient safety and the enforcement of health regulations, sparking fears that many more unlicensed facilities may still be operating undetected.
