A member of the Mental Health Authroity (MHS), Dr. Asamoa Dei, is advocating for more resources to be allocated towards mental health care and activities in the country.
He admitted that the human resources needed in the mental health sector were appreciable, although the majority of the professionals are based in Accra and other major cities.
He challenged the government to cover the cost of mental health services under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
Speaking on Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 96.5FM, he said management of mental health cases is expensive, and the NHIS will go a long way towards reducing the cost of treatment.
He was of the view that if the government allocated more resources towards mental health management, it would support improved access to psychotropic medicines and non-drug therapies.
The mental health professional highlighted that the country’s quality of mental health services is being negatively impacted by a lack of enough resources.
“When it comes to human resources, we have enough. The number of workers is far better than before. We still have more room for improvement. But human resources are far better than in the past. The number of psychiatrists we have at the moment exceeds 70. The number of psychologists also exceeds 100. However, several of them are in the cities, particularly Accra, Kumasi, Ho, and Tamale. We are doing our best to get some of them to relocate to the deprived areas. We are working in collaboration with the government to achieve this goal.
The other challenge we have observed is a lack of adequate funding for mental health care and activities in the country. It is our prayer and appeal that more funds be allocated to enhance the delivery of quality mental healthcare. In all honesty, mental healthcare should be free, but we have not been able to achieve this goal due to inadequate funding. We are doing our best with the little we have. The drugs used in the treatment of mental health cases are expensive.
We have also taken steps to ensure that mental healthcare is added to the NHIS, so with a health insurance card, you can seek healthcare in any mental health facility.”
Meanwhile, the MHA has declared May as Mental Health Awareness Month.
The initiative is to create awareness and also mitigate the stigma associated with mental health in the country.
The initiative is dubbed “Purple Month.”.
The initiative is to also amplify and sustain a collective voice to advocate mental wellness across the country.
This would align Ghana with other nations, such as the US and the UK, which have similarly designated May as a month dedicated to mental health awareness creation.
The initiative was launched in Accra on the theme “Movement: Moving more for our mental health,” emphasising the link between physical activity and mental well-being.
Activities lined up for the month include maternal mental health awareness, school engagement on mental health and well-being, community outreach in five districts in the Eastern Region, collaboration with organisations on workplace mental health education, and a health walk.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
