I am unaware of strike at the Accra Psychiatric hospital – Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has indicated that he is unaware of the strike action being embarked on by the nurses of the Accra Psychiatric hospital.

The president who was speaking on Sunrise radio in the Eastern region on Tuesday told the host, he was yet to be informed about the current impasse that has compelled management of the largest specialized mental health hospital to discharge three hundred patients to safeguard the woeful situation.

The disclosure of the president comes after the nurses served a two week notice of strike prior to the industrial action which was carried out on Monday.

The nurses complain they are reeling under unsafe working conditions over non availability of drugs for mentally deranged patients coupled with inadequate logistics and hospital consumables.

President Mahama however explained the need for Ghana to pay keen attention to mental health because of the vulnerability of each individual in society to find him or herself in a state of insanity.

“No it has not come to my attention, but I do know that the area of mental health is one of the areas that we need to focus attention. Our psychiatrists tell us that all of us have a bit of madness in us and that somehow we all have some mental disorder or the other. It means that it is something that we need to pay attention to. We passed the mental health bill and government is committed to its implementation,” President Mahama went on and on.

“We will take immediate steps to resolve the issue at the Accra psychiatric hospital and I am going to call the minister of health after this programme to see what the issues are and see how we will resolve them,” he assured.

This however paints a bleak picture as to the seriousness and the urgency with which a quick solution could be sought for the displeased nurses at the Accra Psychiatric hospital and persons seeking healthcare from the hospital.