Public health experts are calling on the government and the Ministry of Health to prioritize the health impacts of illegal mining, or galamsey.
They advocate for a research-based approach to thoroughly evaluate the health and environmental consequences of these activities.
Prof. Daniel Ansong, former Dean of Medical Science at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), highlighted the severe risks associated with heavy metal exposure from galamsey operations.
He stressed the need to enhance the training of public health professionals to effectively manage these health hazards.
“The present call is in the right direction, hence, as a public health institution they need to be training public health professionals who can be able to work and find out problems that galamsey is associated with.
“Right from childhood to adulthood, exposure to certain heavy chemicals can harm human beings and therefore as a public health institution, it will be important for them to have initiatives in training their professionals to be able to conduct scientific research into areas of illegal mining,” he stated.
