In the Upper East Region, calls have intensified to draw attention to the need for more focus on mental healthcare. When Edem Ameglah Quarshie, the Upper East Regional Coordinator for Mental Health, spoke to Mark Smith on A1 Radio’s Day Break Upper East Show on the occasion of World Mental Health Day, he mentioned that inadequate drugs continue to impact mental healthcare in the region.
“For the challenges, as usual, we have insufficient drugs. I have always said that it is not as if medicines don’t come; that wouldn’t be true. Something comes, but we do not have the full complement, and we don’t have them in large quantities. Every now and then, something comes to the region,” he said.
Mr. Ameglah Quarshie explained that many other health professionals need to be trained to help offer more support to mainstream mental health workers. Additionally, mental health workers need to be trained on new trends that have emerged in mental healthcare.
“So many people are having mental health stress, and so they need to be counseled. People need to be talked to so that they can manage the stress of daily living. In line with this, we need to build the capacities of mental health workers and other health professionals to be able to offer mental health services,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Upper East Regional Mental Health Authority has commended the Presbyterian Hospital for the establishment of the Psychiatric Hospital, the only one of its kind, in Bolgatanga, the Upper East Regional capital.
According to the Upper East Regional Mental Health Coordinator, Edem Quarshie Ameglah, the hospital has significantly improved mental healthcare in the region. Previously, mental health patients did not have a dedicated facility to address their needs.
Services at the facility are further enhanced due to the presence of psychiatrist Dr. Dennis Daliri.
Despite the existence of the hospital, Mr. Ameglah Quarshie explained that more needs to be done by the government and other relevant health stakeholders to complement the work of the hospital.
Mr. Ameglah Quarshie made these remarks during an interview with Mark Smith on A1 Radio’s Daybreak Upper East Show.
“We now have the Presbyterian Psychiatric Hospital with a medical doctor who has specialised in mental health care. That is a plus for us. They do admissions in that facility right here in Bolga. Our colleagues are there to help offer care to anyone who needs it.”
“As Ghana joins in the global commemoration of the 2023 World Mental Health Day under the theme “Mental health is a universal human right,” the Alliance for Mental Health and Development (Mental Health Alliance) calls on Government and all other stakeholders to recognise mental health as a human right. Mental health is essential to the overall well being and ability of a person to live a fulfilling life, yet this fundamental human right eludes many,” portions of a statement released by the Mental Health Alliance read.
The Alliance for Mental Health and Development (Mental Health Alliance) is a national network of over three hundred CSOs, NGOs, and CBOs engaged in mental health advocacy in Ghana. It has eight regional chapters in the Upper East, Upper West, Northern (Northern, Savannah, and NorthEast), Brong Ahafo (Bono, Bono East and Ahafo), Greater Accra, Ashanti, Volta, Central, and Eastern Region.
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana
