GHANA MUST NOT BECOME HAVEN FOR ACADEMIC AND MEDICAL FRAUDSTERS, GTEC & MDC MUST ACT NOW

By Nana Asare Baffour
Concerned Citizen of the Republic of Ghana
Ghana stands at a dangerous crossroads, where the integrity of our academic and professional titles is under relentless assault. Increasingly, individuals with no legitimate credentials are parading themselves as PhD holders and medical doctors without scrutiny, shame, or consequence. These fraudulent claims not only undermine the credibility of our institutions but also place public safety, health, and national trust at severe risk.
A recent scandal involving one Anne Ansa Daly, who allegedly posed as a qualified medical doctor and was even appointed to the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) Board under the leadership of former President John Dramani Mahama, has brought national shame and raised urgent questions. How could such an individual infiltrate our top health governance structures? How did the media, regulatory authorities, and public institutions fail to detect and stop the deception?
What is even more troubling is that this individual was granted the platform of a major television station GHOne TV to offer health advice to millions of unsuspecting Ghanaians. Such negligence is not just unfortunate; it is dangerous. It reveals the fragility of our verification processes and exposes the wider public to misinformation and potential harm.
This is not an isolated case. Across Ghana, there is an alarming trend of individuals acquiring or fabricating academic and professional titles to gain influence, social status, and institutional power. Some media houses, in their quest for content, continue to host these imposters without doing due diligence. Public institutions are not exempt from blame either, as background checks often seem to be perfunctory or entirely absent.
It is time for decisive action.
We call on the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) and the Medical and Dental Council (MDC) to immediately institute a transparent and accessible national verification system. This platform should allow the public, employers, the media, and event organizers to easily verify academic qualifications and medical licenses. The absence of such a system is no longer excusable.
Furthermore, strict punitive measures must be enforced against impersonators and those who aid their deception including media platforms, event organizers, and public officials. It is high time media houses were held accountable for allowing individuals to use professional titles without evidence of qualification.
Ghana’s reputation as a nation of intellectual and professional excellence must be defended. We must never allow our systems to become playgrounds for fraudsters. The intellectual and moral sanctity of our academic and medical institutions must be preserved with firmness and vigilance.
To the leadership of GTEC and MDC: the time for complacency is over. The nation demands immediate reforms and regulatory enforcement to restore confidence in our academic and professional landscape. Let us act before another disaster unfolds at the hands of a fake doctor or an unqualified academic.
Ghanaians are watching. The world is watching. The time to act is now.