Fake KATH 'Health Workers' Convicted, Fined GH¢12,000 Each for Forgery and Illegal Medical Practice

Two people who posed as staff of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi have been convicted by the Asokwa Circuit Court 2 and fined GH¢12,000 each, after pleading guilty to forging hospital identity cards and practicing medicine without registration an operation that saw them distribute suspected illicit drugs, vaccines and medications to unsuspecting traders and business owners.

How the operation worked
Evelyn Ataa Amankwah, 33, a private nurse resident in Brofoyedu, and Collins Agyemang Badu, a student nurse in his twenties resident in Ampabame, were convicted on their own plea before Her Honour Vida Achiaa Yeboah on Monday, July 27, 2026. Prosecutor ASP Stephen Ofori told the court that Amankwah approached a printing press operator in Adum, Kumasi in June 2026 and paid GH¢200 to have counterfeit KATH staff identification cards produced. The forged cards identified Amankwah as a Disease Control Officer and Badu as an Enrolled Nurse.

Armed with the fake credentials, the pair visited shops and business premises in Asokwa, Kumasi including on June 23, 2026 presenting themselves as public health officials from KATH. They went on to offer medical services and hand out suspected illicit drugs, vaccines and medications to traders and residents who believed they were dealing with genuine healthcare workers.

How they were caught
The scheme unraveled after a legitimate public health officer at KATH grew suspicious and alerted the hospital's security team. KATH security intercepted and arrested the pair at the scene in Asokwa before handing them to police.

A subsequent search recovered the forged identification cards along with vaccines and various medicines the two had been distributing. Both admitted the offences in their police caution statements.

The charges and sentence
Amankwah and Badu were charged with conspiracy to commit crime, forgery of a document, and practicing medicine without registration, under Ghana's Criminal Offences Act and the Health Professions Regulatory Bodies Act. They pleaded guilty with explanation and were convicted on their own plea. The court imposed a fine of 1,000 penalty units equivalent to GH¢12,000 on each convict, for a combined GH¢24,000. Amankwah was additionally handed a one-day custodial sentence, which the court suspended in consideration of her pregnancy.

A recurring risk
The case adds to a run of prosecutions in Kumasi this year involving impersonation and fraud connected to KATH, and underlines a persistent vulnerability in Ghana's healthcare oversight: forged identification remains cheap and easy to produce, while informal medical services offered outside registered clinics can circulate unregulated drugs and vaccines directly to the public with no clinical oversight.

Health authorities have repeatedly urged the public to verify the credentials of anyone presenting themselves as a healthcare worker before accepting medication, injections or health services from them, and to report suspicious individuals claiming affiliation with hospitals or public health bodies to the nearest police station.

Mustapha Bature Sallama.
Medical/ Science Communicator,
Private Investigator, Criminal investigation and Intelligence Analysis.
International Conflict Management and Peace Building.USIP
mustysallama@gmail.com
+233-555-275-880

References
ModernGhana, "Two KATH 'workers' convicted for forgery" https://www.modernghana.com/news/1514384/two-kath-workers-convicted-for-forgery.amp

Adomonline, "Fake nurse and disease control officer at KATH convicted and fined GH₵12,000 each" https://www.adomonline.com/fake-nurse-and-disease-control-officer-at-kath-convicted-and-fined-gh-12000-each/

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