Accra Psychiatric Hospital (APH) is indebted to the tune of GHc3 million. The amount was accumulated over a period of four years on food and other supplies.
As at now, each of the 1,200 patients at the hospital is entitled to 60 pesewas a day.
According to Dr. Akwasi Osei, Acting Chief Psychiatrist of the hospital, the only solution to uplift mental health care in Ghana is the passage of the new bill.
"Currently we are operating with an outmoded law-NRCD 30 of 1972 and that is a major challenge. Consequently there is stigmatization and inadequate human resource. Mental health care is only institution based instead of community based," he lamented.
He added that human rights issues have not been provided for in NRCD 30 of 1972 which has given prayer camp owners a field day to treat supposed mental health patients inhumanely.
He said the new law seeks to overhaul mental health care in Ghana. Under the new law, he said there will be specific provisions for women and children as vulnerable groups.
Speaking at a forum in Accra organised by Network for Women's Rights in Ghana (NETRIGHT), on Women's Rights and Mental Health, Dr. Osei outlined that the law will decriminalise suicide, ensure that mentally ill can maintain their marriage and mentally ill can exercise their franchise to vote if so determined by their attending psychiatrists.
He challenged mental health advocates in particular to advocate for the creation of complete mental departments and not desks within the Ministry of Health and other institutions. "Make it a top priority agenda.
MOH has focal person on gender and health: that is not enough - we need a deputy minister for women's health," he added.
He explained that there are few psychiatric nurses and doctors, and other mental health workers because mental care is seen as unattractive. "Our psychiatric hospitals are not baby-friendly. A nursing mother will have the baby separated because there is no facility to keep babies. While APH has a VIP ward for men, it has no such ward for women. The insanitary conditions are normally not good for the fragile women."
He said others also see it to be dangerous as some patients sometimes go wild and harm care givers and added that even when this happens compensation and incentives are not forthcoming.
He announced plans to form a coalition to advocate for the passage of the bill.Mental health care in Ghana is concentrated in the south with psychiatric service non-existent in the North. Any serious case has to be sent to the hospital in Accra.
Basic Needs is one of the few NGO working to bring about a lasting change in the lives of mentally ill people around the world. They operate mainly in the Tamale, Upper East, Upper West and Accra.
It's Policy Research Officer, Ms Truelove Antwi Bekoe said her organization has built an innovative approach to the problem that tackles mentally ill people's poverty as well as their illness.
Dubbed, "Model for Mental Health and Development", she said they assist mentally ill people to earn a living after they have been given access to regular community-based treatment. "We also work with communities to overcome stigma and abuse. At the heart of our work is consultation with mentally ill people and the drive to work with them to help them solve their problems."
She added that so far her organization has helped transform the lives of tens of thousands of mentally ill people.
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