BasicNeeds Ghana in collaboration with upper east regional mental health department has trained faith-based healers with some level of education to improve mental health care in the region.
BasicNeeds-Ghana a mental health and development advocacy organization that implements and promotes initiatives to transform the lives of people with mental illness or epilepsy by providing access to integrated mental health care, social and economic services in the communities of Ghana.
Speaking to A1 News after the forum, the Project Officer of BasicNeeds Ghana, Mr. Bernard Azuure said the engagement forum with the Faiths based healers which are on the theme ‘Basic Needs Ghana strengthening Private Non-Formal Health Services to Enhance Mental Health Services in Ghana’, is to bring some collaboration between the faith-based healers and Mental Health psychiatric department.
According to Mr. Azuure, BasicNeeds have realized that in most communities, when there are issues of mental health, the first point of call is the traditional healers and prayer camps because of peoples perception about the person’s ill health been demonic or spiritual.
He indicated that he believes the collaboration of faith-based healers and Psychiatric department has become necessary due to unprofessional treatment meted to mental health victims by these faiths based healers and believes it will help bring an end to treating mental health as a spiritual sickness.
Mr. Philip Addo-Aboagye, a Senior Mental Health Officer at the Upper East regional health Directorate, who commended the activities of faith-based healers also used the opportunity to advise both stakeholders, not to apply pressure while handling people with mental health. According Mr. Aboagye, it is the duty of the traditional healers and Prayer camps to refer any difficult case to the psychiatric Unit to handle professionally.
On his part, the upper east regional organizer for the traditional healers, Abdul Rashid Amoah said the collaboration between traditional healers and psychiatric Unit will play a key role.
According to him, even though BasicNeeds is doing their best, he thinks his group still needs some sensitization to improve in their line of duties. The project was supported by UKAid whose aim, is at increasing access to non-formal health care services and referral of persons living with mental illness or epilepsy in Northern Ghana.
source:a1radioonline.com
