The outgoing President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana (PSGH), Dr. (Pharm) Samuel Kow Donkoh, has warned that illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, poses a growing threat to healthcare delivery and local pharmaceutical production.
Speaking at the 2025 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Society at the University of Cape Coast, Dr. Donkoh cautioned that the destruction of water bodies and farmlands by galamsey activities could soon cripple the availability of safe water needed for pharmaceutical manufacturing, laboratory services, and hospital operations.
“Without clean and sustainable water sources, Ghana’s pharmaceutical industry cannot produce essential medicines. This is not just an environmental issue; it is a direct public health crisis in the making,” he stressed.
He added that contamination of water and food chains from mercury and other chemicals used in illegal mining increases the burden of chronic diseases such as kidney and liver failure, cancers, and other complications, further stretching Ghana’s already fragile healthcare system.
The PSGH President therefore called for urgent, multi-sectoral action to combat galamsey, noting that its consequences extend far beyond the environment to Beyond the galamsey menace, Dr. Donkoh also addressed:
The 2025 PSGH AGM, themed “Strengthening Pharmacy for Primary Healthcare,” brought together pharmacists, policymakers, regulators, industry partners, and civil society groups. Dr. Donkoh urged collective responsibility:
“Every illegal mining site polluting our rivers today is a future hospital crisis waiting to happen. The fight against galamsey is a fight to save lives and protect the future of pharmacy and healthcare in Ghana.”