Galamsey is now an epidemic - NDC's Dr. Jehu Appiah

The NDC's spokesman on health, Dr. Kama S. Jehu-Appiah, has called on President Akufo-Addo to immediately address the nation on the illegal mining activities popularly known as galamsey.

The NDC medical professional advocates that the president should address the nation, just as he did during the COVID-19 outbreak with his 'Fellow Ghanaians' speech, to tackle the issue of galamsey similarly.

He posited that the politicisation of the galamsey activities must cease for the national interest to be paramount.

He asserted that the galamsey crisis is an epidemic that needs urgent attention.

Dr. Kama Jehu Appiah said," galamsey is now a national crisis, and we are expecting the president to show leadership. We are expecting him to rise up and address Ghanaians. This was the most appropriate time for him to have reintroduced his 'Fellow Ghanaians' address. This is an epidemic that is bringing along several health problems. I expect that his presidential advisors on health would advise him to address the nation on this matter, or he (the president) should listen to Ghanaians and address us on the matter."

He explained that galamsey activities have destroyed and polluted our water bodies.

"Everybody is talking about it. Doctors are talking about it; politicians are talking about it. This is not politics any more. This is the health of Ghanaians. Because of the chemicals they use in the water, it has destroyed a lot of things—flora and fauna. It is even affecting the health of individuals. It can even lead to kidney problems. If the president will listen, he should address Ghanaians on the matter immediately.

"President Akufo-Addo must show leadership now before he leaves office and put a stop to this (galamsey). He must review what we have done and repair where we have damaged before he can give a license to anybody to mine because very soon Ghana would be in a situation we cannot imagine. It is going to affect our cocoa production; the water that we drink and the water that we use to prepare for baths will be badly polluted.

"I think it is a call at the right time that the president should accept and show leadership. It is belated, but we can still do it. He should address Ghanaians through a broadcast and show leadership. He was the one who put his presidency on the line, and so he must show leadership. It is a call to him to show leadership."

"The galamsey water is so dangerous because we have chemicals in it like mercury, cyanide, and others that have serious health implications. You may not see the effects today, but certainly, in the future, you will feel the impact. Apart from the colour of the water, there are several poisonous substances in the water.

"That is why we are asking the politicians to put politics aside and think about Ghana and Ghanaians. What is happening is dangerous, and if this continues in the next year, I don't know where Ghana will be. It is an epidemic, and the president needs to sit up now. He is the leader of the nation and must make bold decisions. Let's forget about elections. This radio, if not, I would have said something. But the president must take a bold decision."

He then slammed the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Effiduase Asokore and Chairman of Parliament's Health Committee, Dr. Ayew Afriye, for stating unequivocally that the government has no intention of banning illegal mining.

However, Dr. Ayew Afriye has accused TV3 and Onua TV of deliberately distorting the context within which he spoke.

According to the MP, "So, what the TV3 people did was that when I said we will not stop today or tomorrow, they actually truncated and doctored it out and then made it look like all I said was we are not doing anything about galamsey and we will not stop today or tomorrow. That is a misrepresentation; it actually put me out of context."

He has since petitioned the National Media Commission to cause TV3 and Onua TV stations to retract the offensive publications against him.

Speaking on Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, he said the MP behaved as if he had never been to school before.

"And I heard a doctor who is an MP who is also talking as if he's been to school before. I condemn whatever he said that they were not going to fight against Galamsey today, tomorrow, or the next day. I think it is a reckless statement. He should apologise to the Ghana Medical Association (GMA); he should apologise to Asantehene because he is an Asante man; he should apologise to his party and everybody in Ghana; and he should apologise to his family. I condemn it, and he shouldn't have said what he said."