Cape Coast Police Start Clearing Lunatics ... For PANAFEST

Cape Coast (C/R), - The Central Region Police Command has embarked on an exercise to clear about 200 lunatics roaming the streets of Cape Coast and its environs in preparation for the third Pan African Historical Theatre Festival (PANAFEST '97). A nine-member committee set up to ensure the success of the exercise, has recommended the posting of 50 nurses by the Ministry of Health to the Ankaful Psychiatric Hospital to augment its present staff to enable it to take care of the patients. The committee noted that the hospital has no accommodation problem for the nurses and an occupational therapist who are to be sent to the hospital. Members of the committee further explained that ''there is no need for specially trained nurses in psychiatric duties but any general nurse could be posted there for on the job training''. The committee mentioned drugs and food among essential items needed to take care of the lunatics and called for a contingency fund to be made available to the hospital to cater for their needs. It also called on the Cape Coast Municipal Assembly, Panafest Secretariat, hotel and restaurant operators and non-governmental organisations to contribute to the maintenance of the lunatics to ensure the success of the exercise. The committee, under the chairmanship of the Deputy Regional Police Commander, Mr. Kwaku Siaw, noted with concern that although most of the lunatics have their families and relatives around Cape Coast, they refused to accept them back home after they were successfully treated at the hospital. Public attitude towards lunatics create more problems for the treated ones leading to their relapse.