The Daffiama-Bussie-Issa District Director of Health of the Upper West Region, Emmanuel Sanwouk has expressed disquiet about the inability of health staff at the CHPS compound and Health Centre levels to prescribe drugs for the treatment of mental health disorders.
Mr. Sanwouk said while counseling plays a vital role in the treatment of persons with mental health conditions, psychotropic drugs are key to the rehabilitation of persons with mental health so the absence of drugs at the lower level health facilities poses a great challenge. He was speaking to A1 Radio at Issa in the Daffiama-Bussie-Issa District.
The Daffiama-Bussie-Issa District was the last district created in the Upper West Region in 2012. It was created from the Nadowli/Kaleo District. The District has no District Hospital as it can only boast of a polyclinic, a few health centers and CHPS Compounds.
According to Mr Sanwouk, in the area of mental health, a lot has been done to make the service accessible to the people of the area. The Health Directorate now has 5 Community Mental Health Officers along with 4 Clinical Nurses in all 4 Health Centres and the District Polyclinic who help to diagnose mental health conditions.
Mr Sanwouk explained that due to the accreditation levels of the CHPS Compounds and Health Centers, caregivers in these facilities, although qualified, are unable to prescribe drugs under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) for the treatment of clients because they would not be reimbursed. This means that for drugs under the NHIS, clients would have to travel far distances to visit the polyclinic in the District to access healthcare.
Head, “We try as much as possible to bring the services to the doorsteps of the people. That has been the major success story in the district. Before then, we had people who were chained in their homes and we never knew about it but when we started with the community visits, we have been able to identify these people and we have treated them.”
Apart from the only Polyclinic in the District, all the facilities are Health Centres and CHPS Compounds and their accreditation levels do not allow them to have some of these medications so when they are prescribed, the facilities will not be getting reimbursement from the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).”
He commended the Centre for People’s Empowerment and People’s Right Initiatives (CPRI) for their support to the District.
A Programme Officer with the Organisation, Dominic Wunigura, who spoke to A1 Radio said under organisation’s maternal mental health project, 364 people across the Upper West Region have been treated for various mental health conditions.
In the District, 42 people have been treated for a number of mental health conditions and given some livelihood support. Mr. Wunigura, explained that after treatment, the beneficiaries are given between Ghc 500 Ghc 1,000) to start businesses of their own. These businesses include animals rearing, crop production, trading among others.
“The purpose was to enable them to, first of all, engage in some form of occupational therapy. These were women who did not engage in any daily activity. When they wake up, they just idle around but we think that once they engage in some occupational activity as a therapy on its own, they find self-worth, self-esteem and they are also able to buy certain petty things by themselves without having to depend on anybody,” he said.
He called for family support to enable stakeholders in the health sector address mental health challenges.
Source: A1Radioonline.com|101.1MHz| Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana
