'Lack of drugs affects mental health care delivery'

Mr Justice Ofori-Atta, Mental Health Officer at Kintampo North Municipality has observed that lack of vaccination equipment and drugs are major challenges facing mental health nurses and therefore appealed for support from NGOs and philanthropists for proper attention to mental patients.

He made the observation at a day’s workshop organized by the Brong-Ahafo Network of Non-Governmental Organisations (BANGO) for 100 selected stakeholders from eight districts in the region to update them on the Mental Health Law and its importance to the communities.

The participants were from Kintampo North Municipality, Kintampo South, Nkoranza South Municipality, Nkoranza North, Techiman North, Techiman South Municipality, Banda, and Wenchi Municipality.

The workshop financed under a STAR-Ghana Project was attended by nurses, assembly members, religious leaders, traditional leaders, leaders of prayer camps and the media.

Mr Ofori-Atta expressed appreciation to the efforts of BANGO in ensuring that assemblies in the region offered the necessary support in dealing with the mental law to enable the people refrain from stigmatizing mental patients.

Mr Gabriel Benarkuu, Chairman of BANGO stressed the need for the assemblies to make available mental health facilities for the proper care and attention of mental patients.

He said between 2011 and first half of 2014, 21 community psychiatric nurses have been trained in the region and expressed appreciation to the assemblies that supported and motivated psychiatric nurses to remain in the communities to serve.

Mr Mustapha Yeboah, Zonal Coordinator of BANGO, expressed concern about how some people handled mental patients subjecting them to severe beatings and harassment and called for legislation on the rights of mental patients.

He urged the participants to serve as “Ambassadors” for the effective implementation of the Mental Health Law in the communities to promote the rights and freedom of mental patients.