The Mental Health Authority has identified the shortage of adequate psychiatric facilities as a significant challenge hindering its operations.
Amid the growing number of mentally unstable individuals roaming the streets of Accra, the Authority says the lack of space to house them in appropriate facilities poses a major obstacle.
Speaking to Channel One News on Saturday, May 17, the Deputy Head of Communications, Dr. Josephine Stiles Darko, emphasised the need for a collaborative effort among stakeholders to address the situation.
In 2023, the Mental Health Authority of Ghana announced an ambitious plan: to remove over 6,000 mentally ill persons from the streets of Accra and relocate them to care facilities where they could receive proper treatment.
However, after two years, the authority says that the progress of the initiative has stalled due to certain factors.
“This initiative over the years has not really been on a large scale. This has been a bit slow because of a few practical issues when it comes to caring for them and also reintegrating them back into society. The authority has not stopped working on it it it is just that it is not at a very large scale,”she said.