The Ghana Alternative Medical Practitioners Association (GAMPA) has filed a lawsuit challenging the Traditional Medicine Practice Council’s authority to regulate complementary and alternative medicine in Ghana, escalating a long running dispute over jurisdiction in the healthcare sector.
The Statement of Claim, filed on December 11, 2025, at the Superior Court of Judicature in Accra, names the Traditional Medicine Practice Council as first defendant and the Attorney General of Ghana as second defendant. The suit seeks declarations that the Traditional Medicine Practice Act, 2000 (Act 575) does not extend to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practices.
GAMPA argues that CAM, including chiropractic, naturopathy, homeopathy, acupuncture, ayurveda and reflexology, originates from foreign traditions and is distinct from Ghanaian indigenous traditional medicine. The association contends that Act 575 was enacted specifically to regulate traditional medicine, not alternative medicine imported from other countries.
The lawsuit challenges the Council’s claim of regulatory authority over CAM as unlawful and ultra vires, meaning beyond its legal power. GAMPA alleges that CAM practitioners have faced harassment, threats and reputational harm due to the Council’s actions.
According to the Statement of Claim prepared by lawyer Michael Youri, GAMPA seeks a declaration that Section 42 of Act 575 does not extend to complementary and alternative medicine. The section provides interpretation of key terms in the legislation.
The association further seeks a declaration that the Council’s assumption of authority over CAM is unlawful and void. GAMPA is requesting a perpetual injunction to stop the Council from regulating complementary and alternative medicine, along with costs and other reliefs.
The lawsuit references World Health Organization (WHO) recognition of CAM as distinct from traditional medicine, noting that the WHO advocates for separate, evidence based regulation of alternative medical practices.
Professor Raphael Nyarkotey Obu, General Secretary of GAMPA and a naturopath who recently qualified as a barrister and solicitor in The Gambia, has been leading the challenge against TMPC’s regulatory reach. In a February 2025 statement, he explained that his legal training revealed that TMPC is misinterpreting Act 575.
The Act was passed to regulate traditional medicine, not alternative medicine. Despite this, TMPC has persistently imposed its authority over alternative medicine practitioners and institutions, including my own, Professor Nyarkotey stated.
He cited a 2010 letter from the Attorney General clarifying that Act 575 does not extend to alternative medicine. Despite this ruling, TMPC continues to overstep its mandate, he noted.
The Traditional Medicine Practice Council, established under Act 575, describes its mandate as promoting, controlling and regulating traditional and alternative medicine practices. The Ministry of Health website states that TMPC is determined to brand and create a respectable image for Traditional and Alternative Medicine practice in Ghana.
However, the dispute centers on whether the Council’s mandate legally extends to alternative medicine or is limited to indigenous traditional medicine. A proposed Traditional and Alternative Medicine Bill drafted in 2018 acknowledged the gap in Act 575’s coverage of alternative medicine, but the legislation has not been passed.
The 2018 bill’s memorandum stated that the purpose was to set up a Traditional and Alternative Medicine Council as a corporate body to regulate both practices. In 2000, Parliament enacted a Traditional Medicine Practice Act. The purpose of the Act was to set up a Council to regulate the practice of traditional medicine, the memorandum noted, implicitly acknowledging that alternative medicine was not originally covered.
The lawsuit comes amid broader turmoil within Ghana’s traditional medicine sector. The TMPC has faced leadership and administrative challenges since 2024, particularly regarding the position of Registrar. Tensions escalated to National Security level in February 2025 when unidentified complainants reported key stakeholders.
In October 2025, the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) directed the Acting Registrar of TMPC, Yakubu Tobor Yusuf, to clarify his use of the academic title Dr (MH), stating that GTEC had not granted approval for use of the title.
Professor Nyarkotey has called for urgent presidential intervention to resolve what he describes as a leadership crisis crippling the Council’s ability to function effectively. In an open letter published in February 2025, he urged government to resolve the leadership crisis and reassess the Council’s operations.
The lawsuit represents a legal test of regulatory boundaries in Ghana’s healthcare sector. If successful, it would strip TMPC of authority over a significant segment of health practitioners and potentially require establishment of a separate regulatory body for alternative medicine.
TMPC is yet to file their defense. The outcome could reshape regulation of healthcare practices in Ghana and clarify whether alternative medicine imported from foreign traditions falls under different legal frameworks than indigenous traditional healing.
