Medical and Dental Council suspends doctors arrested for baby trafficking

The Medical and Dental Council says it has suspended the licenses of doctors who were involved in the trafficking of two babies.

Speaking to Citi News, the acting Registrar of the Council, Dr. Divine Ndonbi Banyubala says the doctors involved will have their facilities shut down.

The action taken by the council is in line with its procedure.

“When members of the profession have been accused of serious offences of this nature, you have the right, in the interest of public trust and confidence in the healthcare system, to make sure that you suspend or withhold their license until their legal processes are gone through,” Dr. Banyubala explained.

He stressed that it was important the council act to maintain its credibility because its “regulatory agenda is focused on accountability.”

“We do not make room for criminals or miscreants to masquerade as members of the noble profession,” Dr. Banyubala said.

The doctors have been identified as Dr. Hope Mensah Quashie and Dr. Noah Lartey.

They were arrested alongside two social workers, four nurses, two mothers and one traditional birth attendant as part of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) and Ghana Medical and Dental Council operation conducted in December 2020 at the Ridge Hospital and the Tema General Hospital.

The two babies involved were sold at a price of GHS30,000 and GHS 28,000 respectively by the suspects.

They have been granted bail pending further investigations.