The poor state of healthcare in the country should be blamed on past governments, a former Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Prof Emmanuel Martey, has said.

Prof Martey, who was not enthused about the delivery of healthcare in the country, observed that past governments of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) did not prioritise healthcare enough to ensure that the wellbeing of citizens was excellent.

“Insofar as everybody agrees that we don’t have an adequate and excellent way of delivering healthcare in this country, all past governments, both NPP and NDC, have not done well,” he told journalists in the Eastern Region on Monday, May 22.

He, however, observed that the Nana Akufo-Addo administration “just came and in hundred and ten or so days we cannot judge them on that”.

He urged government and stakeholders in the health sector to ensure that the right systems and structures are implemented to improve on health.

On the issue of illegal small-scale mining (galamsey), Prof Martey observed that the culprits had a field day under the Mahama administration.

The cleric said that the government of Mr John Mahama identified the cause of galamsey but failed to deal with it despite his promptings.

“I don’t want to go into politics but it was in Mahama’s administration that this thing [galamsey] became worse. I met Mahama, we sat down and I complained about this galamsey. He told me that he was able to identify the Ghanaian who was bringing the Chinese to Ghana so they will deal with it. But rather, things got worse, so if the government will sit up and selflessly manage our country, this galamsey business will be solved,” Rev Martey said.

The Akufo-Addo government declared zero tolerance for galamsey right after coming into office. The anti-galamsey campaign led by Minister of Lands and Natural Resources John Peter Amewu has resulted in the cessation of the practice across the country.

Also, a six-month ban has been placed on all forms of small-scale mining – both legal and illegal – as the government takes measures to regularise the industry.

Rev Martey commended the Akufo-Addo government for fighting galamsey. “It is too early to say that the present administration is not doing well. In fact it is because they have come, and thanks to the media everybody knows that galamsey is a necessary evil which ought to be eliminated,” he added.