Frontline health workers across 15 districts and municipalities in the Upper East Region have commended Gifty Atampugbire for her initiative to strengthen mental health care through specialized training sessions held in Bolgatanga and Navrongo.
Ms. Atampugbire, a Clinical Nursing Auditor and Quality Improvement Manager at the University of Ghana Medical Centre, is also the founder of Healing Wheels – Public Health at Your Doorstep, a community-based nonprofit providing free primary and mental health services to rural communities.
She was selected as the 2025 Reciprocal Exchange Awardee under the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, a U.S. State Department initiative. Through the award, she partnered with two mental health professionals from Texas Health and Human Services and Bluebonnet Trails Community Services to train nurses across the Upper East Region.
The training has equipped about 150 frontline health workers with skills in Mental Health First Aid, Peer Support, and Recovery Services. It is currently being extended to traditional and religious leaders to strengthen community-based support systems.
Participants expressed appreciation for the knowledge gained. “This training has really helped us,” said Ayamga Ophelia, a Community Health Officer at the Daboya Health Center in the Bongo District. “Many times, we take mental health cases for granted because we don’t have the required knowledge. Now, we know how to identify and manage such conditions better.”
Another participant from the Kassena-Nankana Municipality said she was inspired by the sessions. “I am delighted to be part of this training to learn how we can support our youth struggling with drug abuse and mental health issues in our region,” she said.
The Upper East Regional Mental Health Coordinator, Gifty Polycap, described the region’s mental health situation as alarming, noting that the training was timely and much needed. “Just looking at the figures since 2023, the situation is worrying, and this training is exactly what we need,” she emphasized.
Ms. Atampugbire said her organization’s goal is to bridge mental health gaps in Ghana’s northern regions. She highlighted that the five northern regions lack state-owned mental health facilities, leaving many people without proper care. Through her work, she has conducted community counseling and trained 165 nurses as mental health first aiders.
Mental health affects all of us, she said, calling for collective action to break the stigma and strengthen community support systems.
Source: A1Radioonline.com | 101.1 MHz | David Azure | Bolgatanga
