We’ve picked up 76 mentally ill persons from the streets, treated, repatriated, and reintegrated 44 – Pantang Hospital

The management of Pantang Hospital requests sustained backing for the ‘Operation Set the Captives Free Initiative’.

This initiative is dedicated to identifying, treating, and reintegrating mentally ill individuals who are currently living on the streets back into society.

Lead for the initiative Dr. Alex Owusu Ansah, said the hospital, did not have the financial muscle to take all mentally ill persons off the streets and treat them, so the project depended on support from corporate bodies and other benevolent individuals to sponsor the treatment of at least one mentally ill person.

Speaking at the 2024 Durbar organised today, October 7, 2024, in commemoration of the World Mental Health Day Celebration, he revealed that the facility has this year treated and reintegrated 75 mentally ill patients.

He stated that the project allows for mentally ill persons to be taken off the streets with the provision of all their medical and mental health needs while they are also provided with all the support they need, reintegrating them with society and offering them sustainable livelihoods.

"This project has touched the lives of quite a number of people. We’ve been able to pick up about 76 mentally ill people on the streets and been able to address their psychiatric as well as the general health care needs of these people. We have registered them on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). We’ve traced their families and linked them to sustainable sources of livelihoods. We have about 44 of them who have been repatriated and reintegrated into society, and we have about 24 of them who are still on admission at various phases of their treatment," he added.

He extended gratitude to all corporate bodies and churches that have supported the initiative, including LIC, Afriwave, and some individuals who would want to remain anonymous.

"We believe that everyone out there deserves access to the healthcare that they need and not just those of us without mental health challenges. We want to call on corporate Ghana, individuals, churches, mosques, and all organisations out there to continue to support us with this particular Set the Captives Free Project. We call for a van to be able to help with the pickup and then the tracing of families as well as motorbikes to help with this process. We also call on corporate Ghana to support us in the renovation of the occupational therapy department and then also support to help with the renovation of the setup of the teleconferencing centre,” which he disclosed helps them in offering training and capacity building.

He further called for the support of Ward Five to help with maternal and child healthcare services provided in the hospital.