Galamsey making water treatment expensive for pharmaceutical companies – Pharmaceutical Companies
Illegal mining activities (galamsey) are severely polluting water sources, leading to increased costs for pharmaceutical companies in treating water for drug manufacturing.
Dr. Samuel Kow Donkor, President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana (PSGH), highlighted that water pollution poses one of the greatest threats to public health.
He pointed out that while Ghana has achieved self-sufficiency in local infusion production, this success is now jeopardized by illegal mining.
“Local manufacturers can meet the country’s demand for intravenous infusions, but they require quality water to do so. If this environmental degradation continues, we might face the troubling prospect of having to import water to support our local industry,” he warned at the PSGH’s 2024 annual general meeting in Kumasi.
Dr. Donkor noted that the pollution is so severe that expensive technologies are often necessary for water treatment, contributing to rising medicine costs. Reports indicate that small-scale mining operations in Ghana release approximately five tons of mercury annually.
“This toxic burden is unacceptable. We urge the government to take urgent action to end this lawlessness. We must safeguard our environment, our water, and the future of our local industries before it’s too late,” he emphasized.
Additionally, Dr. Ekow Donkor expressed concern that the destruction of forest reserves threatens the survival of medicinal plants, highlighting the need to halt environmental degradation for sustainable integration of plant medicines.
The meeting focused on the theme “Pharmacists: Meeting Primary Health Care Needs.” Pharmacists discussed issues affecting their welfare and strategies to enhance the production of effective medicines for current and emerging health challenges.
The PSGH proposed formally integrating community pharmacies into Ghana’s primary healthcare framework, believing that leveraging this extensive network would improve patient care and provide economic benefits that support the sustainability of the healthcare system.
Pharmacists can play a vital role in achieving universal healthcare by offering patient-centred care, optimizing medicine use, and improving health outcomes.
