Mentally ill people on the streets are unprotected - Dr. Kwesi Osei

The Executive Officer of the Mental Health Authority, Dr. Kwasi Osei, has expressed displeasure at the state of insecurity people with mental illness are exposed to in the country.

He made the statement in an exclusive interview with GhanaWeb in response to the issue of the growing number of mentally ill patients roaming the streets of major cities and towns.

According to Dr. Osei, they are rejected and looked down on by the public although they are equally humans who have rights.

“Unfortunately nobody is protecting them, in fact society even tends to think that they are not human beings who have their human rights and should be protected,” he lamented.

He highlighted the need for mental health organizations like the Mental Health Authority to be adequately funded so they can access the resources that would take the mentally ill people off the streets, protected and be given medical care.

“That is where we as a government agency responsible for mentally ill people have the responsibility to collect them, get them treated and send them back, but that it also means that somebody must give us the financial backbone, so we fall on the government again,” he concluded.