Accept discharged inmates of psychiatric hospital

Accra, Feb. 15, GNA - The Ministry of Health on Friday appealed to individuals and families of cured inmates of the Accra Psychiatric Hospital to consider it a social and moral responsibility to accept their discharged relations back home.

A statement signed by Mr Dan Osman, Public Relations Officer of the Ministry, noted that over 520 inmates of the hospital who had been cured and discharged were still resident there because their relatives had refused to accept them back home.

As a result, the hospital was facing huge financial difficulties since it had to take care of the expenses of new cases of mental illness as well as the discharged inmates, the Ministry said. "The Ministry therefore, appeals to the religious groups to ask members of their congregations who have relatives among the discharged patients to send them home and give them the necessary support to aid their healing process," it said.