For operating without the necessary license and documentation, the Traditional Medicine Practice Council has closed three body massage spas run by Chinese nationals in the Ashanti Region.
During an enforcement operation aimed at massage therapy, spas, and related activities, the facilities in Ahodwo and Daban in the Kumasi Metropolis were shut down.
Divine Azraku, the Traditional Medicine Practice Council’s Regulation Officer for the Ashanti Region, stated that the impacted facilities had not gotten the Council’s license prior to beginning operations.
He stated, “Most of them were Chinese. They were effectively foreign nationals functioning in that area. They are therefore required to obtain our license, which is the TMPC license, before they can begin operations.”
He stated that nearly all of the facilities examined during the exercise lacked the necessary license, leading the enforcement team to close them and post caution signs at their entrances.
Mr. Azraku stated, “Nearly all of them lacked our license, which indicates that the facilities were shut down.”
He stated that before operators may open a spa or massage business, they must acquire a company operating permit, an association card or proof of proficiency, and paperwork verifying their professional experience.
“Before opening a spa, you must first obtain a business operating permission, an association card or proof of competency, or paperwork demonstrating your expertise in that area,” he stated.
The impacted operators, according to Azraku, were told to rectify their operations and finish the necessary registration procedures before the facilities may reopen.
The operators would also be compelled to pay fines levied for the infractions, he further stated.
“Once the punishment has been paid and the required registration procedures have been performed, we proceed to open the facilities for them,” he stated.
The Council was not against spa services or massage therapy, but it did want operators to adhere to regulatory requirements, Mr. Azraku underlined.
We are not opposed to the practice. So before we can start operating, we want them to get the necessary paperwork,” he stated.
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