Ghana joins global community to mark "World Mental Health Day" with a call to review medical treatment policy in mental health care 


As Ghana joins the rest of the world today October 10, to mark World Mental Health Day, BasicNeeds-Ghana is calling on government to review the free medical treatment policy in mental health care by including it in the National Health Insurance Scheme, (NHIS).
 
According to the group, when this is done, very poor persons can be treated free of charge as indigents while allowing for those capable of paying the insurance premium to do so. This could allow those who need the medicines which are not in hospital pharmacies or cannot afford them to get the medicines from NHIS accredited pharmacies free of charge. 

These were contained in a statement issued in Accra by BasicNeeds Ghana to mark this year’s World Mental Health Day.

The statement which was signed by Executive Director BasicNeeds, Yaro Badimak Peter and copied to the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, (GBC) said through the collective effort of stakeholders in mental health development in Ghana, some progress towards ensuring that the rights of people with psychosocial disability are respected and upheld. 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) set aside October 10 every year to create awareness of psychosocial disorders and promote mental health across the world. 

This year’s theme - “Dignity in Mental Health” - gives all the opportunity to contribute to the discussion which will see a movement to action that ensures the dignity of people with mental illness is realised.
 
According to the statement, the theme of this year’s celebration impresses upon all not only to talk about rights of people with mental illness, but more importantly, to walk that talk by practicalising the minimum contributions each one, be it family member, friend, neighbor or health care service provider, ought to make in ensuring that persons living with mental illness have and live in dignity.”

According to the statement, some of the concrete actions towards recognising the dignity of people with mental illness include the passage of the mental health law (Act 846) and the establishment of the Mental Health Authority and its governing Board.
 
It further said the establishment of the Regional Mental Health Sub-Committees has yet been another concrete move to effectively address the needs and rights of persons with mental illness or epilepsy.
  
Adding that more action, however, is still required to make the mental health sector of Ghana one that we can all be proud of. “Sadly, mental health in Ghana is still under-funded and under-prioritised.”

“The supply of essential medicines needed by people with mental illness to become stabilised is still irregular. Specialists and middle level mental health professionals are still inadequate. Research into issues affecting mental health in Ghana is still low. Non-drug mental health services are still very limited.”

Adding that, people with mental illness still suffer discrimination, stigma and other human rights abuses. The effect of all these inadequacies affecting the development of Ghana’s mental health sector is what makes this year’s mental health day theme a call to action. 

This is because it is not just enough to acknowledge that people with mental illness have rights; we have to put in work to ensure that these rights are made real in their lives. Each person, organisation and institution has a role to play towards achieving this objective. 

BasicNeeds-Ghana takes this opportunity to reechoed Dignity in mental health is a right of every person. “Dignity in mental health: Let’s Live it Now.” The statement concluded.


GBC