‘Mental health law comatose’

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• Another African Patriot 12 years ago

  If gold rusts, what will iron do.- Chaucer

  If gold rusts, what will iron do.- Chaucer

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• Samuel Appiah 12 years ago

  The comment of the Chief psychiatrist says it all. "As a country we have shown very little commitment towards the provision of mental health care".
  Governments of all persuasions over the last two decades have paid scant reg ...
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  The comment of the Chief psychiatrist says it all. "As a country we have shown very little commitment towards the provision of mental health care".
  Governments of all persuasions over the last two decades have paid scant regard towards our fellow citizens who need care and treatment. All three major psychiatric institutions in the country have stopped admissions for lack of resources. It is shocking and shameful that in this day and age we have people wandering through the streets of our major cities sometimes stark naked, hungry and ill for the want of resources to look after them appropriately. The mark of a civilised society is one in which the vulnerable and sick are looked after. On that scale we are no better than barbarians. Our priorities are all wrong. We manage to find resources to provide for our politicians most of whom contribute absolutely nothing towards the development of the country. As yet the Mental Health Act has not been implemented because mental health is not a vote winner. The politicians and responsible minister should be made to account for their stewardship of mental health care in this country. Until that happens we will continue to be barbarians as far as mental health care is concerned

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• Another African Patriot 12 years ago

  Brilliant contribution

  Brilliant contribution

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• Amecole. 12 years ago

  The country's mental health law implementation is long overdue, l however disagree with the chief psychiatrist on the fact that the mental health institutions lack money to operat,e because of the country mental health law no ...
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  The country's mental health law implementation is long overdue, l however disagree with the chief psychiatrist on the fact that the mental health institutions lack money to operat,e because of the country mental health law not being implemented.
  Any country mental health law especially in countries operating the type of health system like we have in Ghana, has as its primary aim the protection of the vulnerable patient with mental illness. The disbursement of money for the country health programmes is a matter to do with the way the health budget is structured, and financially resourced. Hence it is the failure of the Ghana Ministry of health, and the failure of our mental health programme, which has led to the mental health programme financial crunch; and not the implementation/non-implementation of the mental health law.
  In fact knowing how mental health laws work, the mental health service will be even in a worse state were the law have been implemented now, as you need money to ensure and fulfill the dictates of the law.
  What the Ghana ministry of health, and the mental health programme chief psychiatrist have to do is to sit down, and ensure realistic and meaningful budget figures are collated, and additionally make sure the collated budget figures are properly allocated and USED, for what it is meant for, and not something else, as currently happens.

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• Papafio 12 years ago

  Samuel, well said. The fact that so far there has been only four comments on this matter is indicative of our lack of interest and understanding of mental health care in our country. As a nation we have failed in our duty to ...
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  Samuel, well said. The fact that so far there has been only four comments on this matter is indicative of our lack of interest and understanding of mental health care in our country. As a nation we have failed in our duty to protect the most vulnerable in our society. This has been made even worse by our belief in witchcraft, and more recently the appalling role of some of the so-called evangelical churches and their treatment of mentally ill and elderly people in their prayer camps.
  
  Samuel, you are right. We are nothing short of Barbarians, backward in our treatment of the vulnerable members of our society. Advocacy for the vulnerable is the only way forward. We need to shame the whole country, and in particular the politician into acting to protect our fellow citizens.

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