ASHANTI MENTAL HEALTH COMMITTEE INAUGURATED

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The Acting Chief Executive of the Mental Health Authority, Dr. Akwasi Osei says the use of a well integrated community-based health delivery system and intensified public education on anti-mental illness stigma remain key measures that can improve on the delivery of quality mental care across the country. 

To this end, he has admonished stakeholders of the country’s health sector to commit more resources to further decentralize mental health delivery in the country. 

Dr. Osei made the call in Kumasi at the inauguration of the Ashanti Regional Mental Health Sub-Committee, which is the fourth to be constituted after those in the Eastern, Volta and Brong-Ahafo regions. 

The seven-member committee is made up of four men and three women with representation from the Regional Health Directorate and Regional Coordinating Council. 

Dr. Osei explained further that the involvement of the CHIP compounds among other community-based approaches will go a long way to reduce the country’s mental health treatment gap, which currently stands at 98 per cent, while reducing effectively the financial and socio-psychological cost of treatment borne by families of mentally ill persons. 

He mentioned some of the functions of the newly constituted committee which include coordinating all regional mental health activities, taking an inventory of all regional faith-based and traditional healers and planning and developing programs for effective decentralized community oriented care in the region.

 In an address read on his behalf, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Peter Anarfi Mensah noted that stigmatization against mentally challenged persons is a serious social canker which impedes national and global efforts instituted to provide mental care.

 He therefore advised particularly families of such people to change their attitude towards them and help them recover to become useful members of the larger society. 

The Chairman of the regional sub-committee, Dr. Kwaku Bamfo Bandoh on behalf of members pledged to give off their best, while appealing for public and corporate support to enable the committee to deliver on its mandate as stipulated by Act 846 of the Mental Health Act 2012.

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