Traditional medicine council condemns money-doubling practice
The recent upsurge in the practice of money doubling by some spiritualists has attracted the wrath of the Traditional Medicine Practice Council (TMPC), which described the practice of those spiritualists as “quackery and charlatanism.”
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The TMPC, therefore, advised the public to be wary of ‘money doubling’ spiritualists and, if need be, report them to the council or the police, while calling on the media in particular to desist from giving vent to their illegal activities.
“Indeed, we are all, particularly management of the TMPC, concerned about the development. In consequence, many persons have been duped, killed through poison and/or gunshots, whilst other culprits have become inexplicably rich by virtue of their crime,” the Registrar of the TMPC, Torgbuiga Yaka IV, said at a news conference in Accra today.
“In our considered opinion, the purported money doubling is not only deception and fraudulent but it also smacks of magical practices which are not within the remits of the existing and operating statute (Act 575),” he added.
Recently, there has been a phenomenon whereby some spiritualists, claiming to have powers to double money, lure prospective clients through radio, television and billboard publicity, and dupe them of their money and property.
In one instance, a victim was said to have parted with GH¢20,000 for the money to be doubled, but after his expectations had been dashed, he (victim) is now seeking the help of the court to redeem his money.
Information gathered by the Daily Graphic indicated that some of the money-doubling practitioners could hardly pay for their TMPC licence fee of GH¢140 but they now drive ‘posh’ vehicles around town.
In some instances, the culprits are alleged to have adopted cruel ways of eliminating their clients who prove ‘troublesome’ in an effort to retrieve their money paid or property deposited in lieu of cash.
The TMPC cited three cases that had been reported to the council so far with Nana Agrada, Torgbi Shito and Mensah Huntahu standing accused.
Torgbuiga Yaka said if the suspects were found guilty of the regulations of the TMPC, the council would administer the appropriate sanctions, which included suspension and withdrawal of licence.
He implicated the media in the money-doubling scam by the traditional medicine practitioners, and urged them (media) to help eliminate the practice.
“The media will also have to engage in responsible advert and publicity for the practitioners,” he said.
Torgbuiga Yaka said although poverty might influence the emotion of the client, “full and specific solutions to emotion-related ill-health does not, and will never involve provision of physical funds, not even by the so-called practitioner, or by any spiritual medium.”
“We wish to emphasise that no such powers exist. The ‘money doubling’ tricks are purely magical, fraudulent and not related to traditional health practices and have not been licensed,” he said.
By Kofi Yeboah/Ghana
Writer’s Email: [email protected]