Forensic Histopathologist and former Head of Pathology at KNUST and Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Prof Dr Paul Poku Sampene Ossei, has appealed to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) to put aside partisan battles and confront the deadly effects of illegal mining, known as galamsey.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, September 27, Prof Sampene said lives are being lost while political debates continue.
“I would have wished that the two main political parties, NDC and NPP, come together and say enough is enough,” he said.
“Whatever it is that we are doing, whether we are downplaying the whole thing or using it as political capital, it will not help anybody. We should be very serious about it and solve this problem.”
Prof Sampene revealed that his ongoing research has linked at least 500 cases of spontaneous abortions to heavy metal concentrations in the placenta of pregnant women.
“The placentas are all contaminated, polluted with heavy metals,” he explained. “I have examined over 4,000 of them from different regions in Ghana, and both the maternal side and the foetal side show these metals.”
He warned that if illegal mining is not curbed, the country faces widespread health crises. “Do we have what it takes to even solve the kidney diseases that are coming out now? Dialysis is very expensive, and nobody gets it for free. Children are also being diagnosed with chronic kidney disease. These are the realities we have to face,” he said.
Prof Sampene also noted that doctors in mining areas are seeing a rise in birth deformities but are afraid to speak out. “Most of them fear for their lives, but they tell me they are recording a lot of deformities in babies. This is very real,” he stressed.
He further highlighted other dangers of galamsey, such as drowning in abandoned pits and the health risks of using high concentrations of alum to treat polluted water, which can cause kidney failure, respiratory mutations, and Alzheimer’s disease.
The scientist said it saddens him when politicians reduce the issue to partisan arguments. “Sometimes I feel very sad indeed when politicians come on air and try to tell us who did what and who is doing what. It saddens my heart. Galamsey is really killing us,” he said.
Prof Sampene called for urgent national collaboration. “If the child is at risk, let us see how best we can mitigate it so that the child will survive and live a quality life one day. Otherwise, we will soon see people walking but with very high cognitive impairment. Mercury inhalation alone can damage the brain. We are seriously in trouble,” he warned.
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