Korle- Bu: Fake doctor remanded

Daniel Yartey, aka Doctor, a businessman, who presented himself as a Medical Officer at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital Surgical Department, has been nabbed and arraigned.

Yartey is said to have confessed that he was neither licensed nor registered to practice medicine.

Meanwhile, he had allegedly given injections to some clients.

Yartey has been charged with willfully and falsely using the title doctor, practising medicine without registering with the Ghana Medical and Dental Council, and receiving payment for the practice of medicine without being registered.

He is also being held on additional charges of operating a pharmacy without being licensed by the Pharmacy Council, being in possession of restricted drugs without lawful authority, and supply of restricted medicine from unauthorised premises.

Yartey has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The court presided over by Mrs Rosemary Baah Tosu has remanded Yartey into Police custody to reappear on October 25.

The prosecution, led by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Evans Kesse, said the complainant was the Administrative Manager of the Complainant and Investigation Unit of the Ghana Medical and Dental Council.

It said the victim, Desmond Asamoah, was also an employee of the Council attached to the Complaint and Investigations Unit.

The prosecution said sometime in June 2022, the Ghana Medical and Dental Council received complaints from one Pastor Benjamin Anom, a witness in the case, to the effect that Yartey went to his church (Voice of the Lord Evangelical Church, Koforidua) and had introduced himself to the congregation as a medical doctor from the Surgical Department of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and offered to provide ailing members with medical treatment.

It said some of the church members received medical treatment from the accused but subsequently developed complications.

By the conduct of the accused, the prosecution said the congregants suspected that he was not a medical officer.

He said that based on the soft copy of the accused person’s ID Card, the complainant went to investigate the accused at the Ghana Medical and Dental Council.

On July 12, 2022, the prosecution said the complainant contacted the accused person to seek medical care for his brother and followed up with Yartey’s pharmacy located at Pokuase with the victim, Desmond Asamoah for treatment on July 13, 2022.

It said after the accused had introduced himself as a specialist surgical gynaecologist, who had practised at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, he allegedly attended to the victim Desmond Asamoah who complained about stomach pains.

The prosecution said the accused immediately diagnosed him with a stomach ulcer.

The prosecution said Yartey then drew Asamoah’s blood for laboratory testing and proceeded to give him three injections in the shoulder.

“As if that was not enough, he (accused) went further to prescribe 400mg omeprazole injection, Lufart DS artemether-lumefantrine, 750 mg rocetil injection, 1000mg amoxiclav tablets among others.”

The prosecution said the drugs were provided in the accused’s Pharmacy Shop and he was charged GHc380 for the treatment.

It said Yartey also prescribed more drugs to the victim on a Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital prescription form and gave him excuse duty for five days.

The accused also used a Korle Bu Teaching Hospital stamp.

The prosecution said the complainant followed up on July 15, 2022, and filmed all activities secretly.

When the matter was investigated to establish the identity of Yartey on the Council’s Permanent register database, a report was made to the Police.

On October 4, this year, Yartey was picked up at his Pharmacy Shop at Pokuase.

The prosecution said during s search at the Pharmacy Shop, several restricted drugs, which were partially dispensed, prescription forms, intravenous infusion lines, used syringes, empty injectable bottles, Galiva Blood Sugar test Kits, and used Malaria Test kits among others, were found.

A further search of the accused person’s room led to the discovery of a picture frame of him (the accused) in a stethoscope with the inscription “Dr Daniel Yartey. ”

He also held a Photo ID Card with Specialist Number S/No 1168. 0552383409.

During interrogation, the prosecution said Yartey confessed that he was neither licensed nor registered to practice.