Pantang Psychiatric Hospital
Former Pantang Psychiatric Hospital Administrator Charles Adjei provides an insight into mental health care in Ghana.
“The general public lack an insight into what mental health is. They think mental health is caused by cultural factors such as witchcraft and crime. And that the effect of this is mental illness. As a result, people are not compassionate to those with mental illness. They think it is the fault of the patients.”
“Government mental health services are supposed to be free of charge. But in reality, patients have to pay huge sums of money before receiving treatment. For example, at the moment, people on admission at Pantang Hospital pay 7000 GH, which is the equivalent of £600 a month. This is the fee for the maintenance and upkeep of the patients in the hospital. Looking at the income of those in Ghana, they can not afford such a sum on a monthly basis. So when people need mental health care, the family turn to spiritualists, herbalists and pastors for prayers because they are not able to afford professional help.”
“Psychotropic drugs are hard to come by and they are typically too expensive for the patients to afford. Geographically, there are very few health facilities in Ghana. Ghana has a population of 33 million people, there are only 3 mental health hospitals, all located in the southern part of the country. So patients requiring referrals have to travel as far as 400km or more to reach these facilities. Imagine travelling with a person suffering from severe psychiatric conditions for such a distance without the right transport and having to use public transport.”
“There are plans in government to build community-based treatment centres to support those with mental illness and to integrate mental health care services with the general hospitals. The problem the country is facing is with the lack of psychiatrists and trained health care personnel to support those in crisis.”
Charles Adjei, formerly of Pantang Psychiatric Hospital, provides some interesting insights on mental health care in Ghana.
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Charles Adjei sheds light on the challenges of mental health care in Ghana, including cultural misconceptions, financial barriers, and limited access to facilities. The push for community-based centers is essential.