NGO fumes over Accra Psychiatric Hospital crisis

A consortium of Non-Governmental Organizations known as the Ghana National Mental Health Alliance (GHAMHA) is unhappy about the malfunction of the Accra Psychiatric Hospital. Nurses at the nation’s premier mental health referral facility laid down their tools in disapproval of poor working conditions and lack of essentials to work with. It is uncertain when government ...

A consortium of Non-Governmental Organizations known as the Ghana National Mental Health Alliance (GHAMHA) is unhappy about the malfunction of the Accra Psychiatric Hospital.

Nurses at the nation’s premier mental health referral facility laid down their tools in disapproval of poor working conditions and lack of essentials to work with.

It is uncertain when government will fix the problem for the striking Nurses to resume work.

The Alliance for Mental Health and Development is alarmed by this precarious situation and called on government to immediately resolve the problem.

The Alliance which is working in the area of promoting the human rights of mental patients considers the stalemate as a national security threat.

 

Below is the Alliance’s press statement copied citifmonline.com.

PRESS RELEASE BY THE ALLIANCE FOR MENTAL HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT
ON
THE SITUATION OF THE ACCRA PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL AND MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS IN GHANA
The
Ghana National Mental Health Alliance (GHAMHA) notes with worrying concern the developments at the Accra Psychiatric Hospital in which the management and staff of the hospital have embarked on a strike action due to lack of basic working tools and equipment with which to work.

We would like to draw Government’s attention to this emergency and the imminent disaster that awaits the country should mental health continue to suffer such neglect as this.

We pray the President to direct the immediate release of funds to cater for the needs of the hospital so that it can efficiently continue treatment of the many people who rely on the hospital for their mental health care.
We also encourage the staff of the hospital to be open-minded and
work with the government towards finding a lasting solution to this recurring problem.
While this is being done, we wish to use the opportunity to request the Minister of Health, the Attorney General’s Department, the Health Select Committee of Parliament and the entire legislative body to immediately have the Legislative Instrument approved for effective implementation of provisions of the mental health Act, 2012 (Act
846).

We further call on health policy authorities, particularly, the regional and district health management teams of the Ghana Health Service, medical directors and health administrators to individually and collectively set about the establishment of Community Psychiatric Units (CPUs).
We also call on them to expedite the deployment of mental health care professionals to the CPUs to provide the needed services in an efficient manner.
We entreat district, municial and metropolitan assemblies to extend investments towards creating and resourcing the community psychiatric units to run mental health care facilities in their jurisdictions.
We continue to remind families to live up to their responsibilities to
Wards their relatives with psychosocial needs and support them in their treatment.
It is our prayer that everything will be done within our means to leave no one behind in our efforts to improve our lives. Inclusion of women and men, girls and boys with mental health care needs is the right approach to achieving a healthy population and total human development.

For and on behalf of the Ghana National Mental Health Alliance (GHAMHA).
Fred Nantogmah, Basic Needs Ghana.

–

By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

Read Full Story