Health unions urge President Akufo-Addo to ban all small-scale mining immediately
The Ghana Medical Association (GMA), alongside several other health unions and associations, has called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to impose an immediate ban on all small-scale mining activities, both legal and illegal.
This urgent appeal stems from the escalating destruction of the nation’s forest reserves and water bodies, as well as the significant public health and environmental risks posed by illegal mining, also known as galamsey.
The unions backing this demand include the GMA, the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), the Government and Hospital Pharmacists Association (GHOSPA), and the Health Services Workers Union of Ghana (TUC).
Other supporting groups are the Medical Laboratory Professional Workers’ Union (MELPWU), the Mortuary Workers’ Association of Ghana (MOWAG), the Ghana Association of Certified Registered Anesthetists (GACRA), the Health Accounting Staff Association (HASAG), and the Ghana Physician Assistants Association (GPAA).
In a joint statement issued on Friday, these groups cautioned that Ghana is on the verge of an environmental disaster that could gravely impact the health and future of its citizens.
The statement emphasized, “We as Associations and Trade Unions in the health sector, representing health employees, demand the President of the Republic to enforce a total ban on small-scale mining operations, regardless of their legal status.”
The unions also urged the government to bolster enforcement by equipping security agencies to crack down on individuals who disregard the directive and ensure swift prosecution.
They further called on all political parties to publicly declare and sign a commitment to combat illegal and unethical mining activities in Ghana.
Source-citinewsroom
