GHOSPA Sounds Alarm: Galamsey’s Mercury Pollution Driving Surge in Kidney and Liver Diseases Across Ghana
The Government and Hospital Pharmacists Association (GHOSPA) has raised the red flag over a alarming spike in kidney and liver ailments, attributing the crisis directly to illegal mining—or galamsey—activities that are poisoning water sources with mercury and other heavy metals.
In an interview on Sunday, October 19, GHOSPA National Chairman Dr. Emmanuel Owiafe warned that the trend represents a “major public health threat” demanding immediate government crackdowns, beyond mere discussions.
“A number of patients are now being reported with increased issues related to their kidneys and livers, and it is becoming a menace to the entire population,” Dr. Owiafe stated, echoing concerns from the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana.
He highlighted how mercury, used in gold extraction, leaches into rivers and groundwater, contaminating household water in mining hotspots like the Ashanti, Eastern, Western, and Central regions—areas where galamsey has devastated over 60% of forest reserves and polluted major rivers such as the Pra, Ankobra, and Tano.
The health toll is stark: Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital alone logged over 2,000 kidney disease cases in the first half of 2025, a sharp rise linked to environmental toxins, while studies show mercury levels in miscarried placentas from Sefwi and riverine communities exceeding safe limits by up to 500 times.
Toxicologist Yakubu Adam warns that mercury persists in soil and water for up to 800 years, evoking the 1960s Minamata disaster in Japan, where similar pollution caused neurological damage, kidney failure, and fatalities—outcomes now mirroring Ghana’s trajectory.
Exposure risks include bioaccumulation in fish, leading to cancers, respiratory issues, developmental defects in children, and metabolic disorders, with economists projecting workforce losses from chronic illnesses if unchecked.
Dr. Owiafe urged a shift from rhetoric to action: “We have examined several aspects of the health effects of galamsey. The decision now must be something decisive that the government can take.” This aligns with calls from experts like Prof. Richmond Aryeetey for mercury-specific food contamination policies, as annual releases—36.5 tonnes into air, 6.5 into water—fuel non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like hypertension and heart attacks, overwhelming Ghana’s health system.
The Paediatric Society has similarly decried risks to children, including autism and skin cancers from arsenic and lead co-pollutants.
As President John Dramani Mahama weighs a state of emergency on galamsey—advised only if the National Security Council deems it necessary—the crisis threatens food security, with contaminated irrigation slashing crop yields and heavy metals infiltrating staples like lettuce at levels 3,600 times above safe thresholds.
GHOSPA’s plea underscores the urgency: without enforcement, Ghana’s gold rush could exact a generational toll on public health.
