Several union groups in the country have tasked the President, Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo, to issue a "total ban on small-scale mining operations with immediate effect, whether legal or illegal.”
Additionally, they have asked "all political parties" to make a "public declaration and publish a duly signed document on their commitment to fight illegal and unethical mining activities in Ghana.”
Joining in the call is the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), the Government and Hospital Pharmacists Association (GHOSSPA) and the Health services Workers Union of Ghana (TUC).
The call from the various health workers is in response to the increasing destruction of Ghana’s forest reserve and water bodies due to illegal mining activities, popularly known as galamsey.
Other signatories to the statement 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 statement issued on Friday, the groups cautioned that the country is on the verge of an environmental catastrophe that, if not addressed immediately, will severely endanger the health, well-being, and future of Ghanaian citizens.
“Therefore, we as Associations and Trade Unions in the health sector holding collective bargaining certificates on behalf of health sector employees make the following demands: The President of the Republic of Ghana should direct a total ban on small-scale mining operations with immediate effect, whether legal or illegal.”
“The government of Ghana should strengthen regulatory enforcement by resourcing the relevant security agencies to clamp down on all persons who flout this directive and prosecute them expeditiously," portions of the statement read.
The statement further asked, “All political parties" to make a "public declaration and publish a duly signed document on their commitment to fight illegal and unethical mining activities in Ghana.”
