The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) is urging the government to commit more resources to strengthening mental health care across the country, including the training and deployment of additional psychiatric professionals, particularly in underserved and rural communities.
Speaking to Citi News in an interview on Saturday November 1, the Vice President of the Association, Professor Ernest Yorke, expressed grave concern about the limited number of psychiatrists in Ghana and the inadequate facilities available to respond to the rising incidence of mental health conditions.
“I work in a space where I see a lot of patients with mental health challenges, even healthcare professionals. But there is no adequate systemic infrastructure to deal with these conditions quickly.
“I want to call on the Mental Health Authority, the Ministry of Health and all allied agencies to allocate more resources to combat the challenge we are facing.” he noted.
Professor Yorke also called for accelerated training of psychiatric doctors by the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons, but warned that retaining trained professionals has become a major challenge.
“Some of the psychiatrists we train are leaving the country. How do we get them to stay? Remuneration, compensation, conditions of service and this applies to all doctors. How do we convince a psychiatrist to work and live in a rural area when they have more opportunities to earn extra income in Accra?”
He maintained that serious incentives would be required to address the uneven distribution of mental health professionals across the country.
Beyond government responsibility, the GMA is also advocating stronger collaboration between religious institutions and mental health practitioners.
Professor Yorke appealed to faith leaders to acknowledge the limits of spiritual intervention and refer cases when necessary.
“They have a role to play, but they may not have all the expertise needed to deal with mental health conditions, I want to urge our imams, pastors, priests yes, you care for your flock, but let us recognise our limits.
Don’t keep people under prayer when the situation is getting out of hand. Sometimes what appears to be a spiritual issue is actually a medical condition even a brain tumour and that cannot be solved by prayer alone.” he said.
He stressed that mental health care is a shared responsibility, and involving professionals early can prevent needless suffering and loss of life.
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