The Ghana Medical and Dental Council has revealed that 17 medical practitioners have been reported with mental health conditions, while 12 others are struggling with substance abuse.
The disclosure was made by the Council’s Registrar, Dr Divine Banyubala, during an appearance before Parliament’s Health Committee, according to a report published by 3news.com on July 15, 2026.
Speaking to the committee, Dr Banyubala said the Council is monitoring cases involving practitioners with mental health challenges and substance abuse.
“We have practitioners who have mental illness, different kinds. Some of them are on substances,” he said.
He explained that the Council has established a health assessment panel to evaluate practitioners referred for mental health concerns.
According to him, each referral is reviewed by the panel to determine the appropriate course of action.
“When the referral is made, we set up a health assessment panel and in one case when the health assessment panel met and assess, we saw that there was nothing of note. But of course, we do watch what we call the watchful waiting,” he stated.
Dr Banyubala described the issue as a serious concern and revealed that the Council organised a stakeholder conference in February 2026 to discuss the mental health and wellbeing of medical practitioners.
He said participants at the conference agreed that the Council should lead a baseline study on mental health and fitness to practise among healthcare workers in Ghana.
The discussions also focused on strengthening the resilience of the healthcare system and assessing whether adequate workplace support exists for healthcare professionals who require mental health care.
