Michael Obeng, the celebrated Ghanaian-American plastic surgeon, has denied being arrested in Ghana for working without a valid licence from the Ghana Medical and Dental Council (MDC).
His denial follows reports in a cross-section of the Ghanaian media that the renowned surgeon was arrested for soliciting for consultations on cosmetic surgery while in Ghana, contrary to the Health Professions Regulatory Bodies Act 2013 (Act 857).
However, speaking in an interview with Nana Yaa Mensah on The Asaase Breakfast Show on Thursday (5 August), Dr Obeng said: “I don’t even know if this was an arrest. It is very unfortunate. And this is the stupidity we have had to deal with …
“Two weeks ago, when I was in Ghana, my office said the people know that I am in Ghana, they had called the office, they had paid consultation fee and if I can see them. And I said, ‘When I come to Ghana, I don’t come to see patients. But instead of doing a Skype or Zoom consultation, if I am here I will see them.
“So my office put up a social media post that everybody who wants to see me, make sure you pay your money.”
Dr Obeng alleged that what happened was orchestrated by self-styled but unauthenticated officials from the Medical and Dental Council.
“I saw three patients. Two of them were in my office. One gentleman called and begged my office that he didn’t have a credit card and that he was going to bring the money …
“An hour later my security guy calls me that the gentleman who came in says he has got another question. That is when he came back and said: ‘We are from the Medical and Dental Council and you are practising without licence.’
“I don’t think the guy came from the MDC; they came for extortion. It is very sad,” he said.
Below is a statement by Dr Obeng explaining further what happened:
Dr. Michael K. Obeng_Press Release AUG 5_2021 by KM on Scribd
Profile of Dr Obeng
Michael K Obeng is a Ghanaian plastic surgeon based in the United States. He migrated to the United States when he was 20 years old and went on to train as a surgeon at Midwestern State University, the University of Texas Medical School and Harvard University.
He specialised in cosmetic surgery, with specific expertise in hand and neuromuscular surgery, ageing and complex reconstructive surgery. His skill in his field made him a prime choice for many seeking plastic surgery, and he soon became a celebrated surgeon in Beverly Hills, California. His clients include celebrities and royalty.
Obeng is the founder and chief executive officer of RESTORE Worldwide Inc, a non-profit organisation that donates free reconstructive surgery in African countries to people with some kind of disfigurement, including deformities from birth, disease or accidents.
He is the owner of MiKO Plastic Surgery in Beverly Hills, a board-certified plastic surgeon, and a fellow of the American College of Surgeons.
The Consumer Research Council of America named Dr Obeng among the top plastic surgeons in 2011 and 2014. He is one of a handful of surgeons in the world to have reattached a limb successfully.
Reality TV
He has received many awards, including a research grant from the National Institutes of Health, the much-coveted Herman B Barnett Award in Surgery and Anaesthesia and the GUBA Humanitarian Spirit Award in 2017.
He was chief of plastic surgery for the St Elizabeth’s Health Centre in Cincinnati, Ohio, and is currently on the staff of Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre in Los Angeles.
Dr Obeng has also appeared on Second Wives Club, a reality TV show.
Fred Dzakpata
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