Experts warn of Galamsey's devastating Health risks

Accra, Ghana - Public health practitioners are urging the government and Ministry of Health to establish a comprehensive public health agenda to address the far-reaching consequences of illegal mining (galamsey) on health.

Experts advocate for a research-based approach to understand the multidimensional impact of galamsey on health and the environment, emphasizing the need for evidence-based solutions.

This call comes amidst growing demands from religious and professional bodies for a temporary ban on all mining activities until a solution is found.

Public health practitioners also suggest equipping them with educational materials to raise awareness about the dangers of galamsey and engage the public in the fight against the menace.

At the10th anniversary launch of Ensign Global College, Professor Daniel Ansong, a pediatrician, highlighted the severe health risks posed by heavy metal exposure from galamsey activities, affecting both adults and children, and stressed the need for enhanced training for public health practitioners to tackle these health dangers.

“We need to be training public health professionals who can be able to work and find out problems that galamsey is associated with. Both right from childhood to adulthood, exposure to certain heavy chemicals can harm the human being and therefore as a public health institution, it will be good for them to have initiatives into training and building capacities for their professionals to be able to conduct scientific research into the areas of illegal mining," he said.

“There is a need for us to have a public health agenda on the galamsey or the illegal mining issues to look at all the dimensions of its impact on public health and therefore, any call to look at its impact is very important, " he added.

Source: Lead News Online