The Vice President of the Ghana Medical Association, Professor Dr. (Med) Ernest Yorke has warned of dire consequences for the country if immediate action is not taken to address the menace of galamsey activities.

Raising concerns on how the activities of galamsey are polluting water bodies across the country, Prof. Yorke cautioned that the menace has become an existential threat to all citizens.

He highlighted the potential contamination of foodstuff and livestock, which could increase the risk of diseases among Ghanaians.

Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile programme on Saturday, September 7, 2024, Prof. Yorke said “I travel along the Accra-Kumasi Road and I stop by a chop bar called Abossey Okai to eat fufu sometimes and I’m beginning to revise my notes. You know why? Because the bush meat and the soup that we are eating, we don’t know how its contaminated.

“And the reason I am afraid to continue doing so is because, the arsenic and the mercury that may have gotten into this grass cutter that you are enjoying is non-biodegradable. So, the plants and animals that get contaminated from the poisoned soils and water, it stays within them and it gets passed on,” he lamented.

The GMA vice president lamented that even those living outside galamsey-prone areas are gradually being affected by the menace due to the poisonous chemicals used by these illegal miners.

He further mentioned that no one is safe from the effects of galamsey.

“…there are tons of publications that suggest that it [galamsey] has gone beyond just the immediate environs of the galamsey area and it is coming to town. So, if you live in Accra and you think that you are safe, I can tell you if you go to Agbogbloshie, Mallam Atta market to buy food it is coming home and the dire consequence, we may not have seen it now but in the long term its going to affect your kidneys,” Professor Dr. Yorke stressed.

MAG/MA