The chairman of Parliament’s Committee on Health has dismissed suggestions the Mental Health bill will provide legal backing for the operation of prayer camps. The Bill is currently at the consideration stage, and some MPs, such as the Manhyia MP, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, have raised concerns about certain provisions. Dr. Prempeh believes the Bill endorses the activities of some religious bodies which have gained notoriety for abusing the rights of the mentally ill. But Muntaka Mubarak, who chairs Parliament’s Committee on Health, told Joy News the Bill rather seeks to control the activities of these religious bodies. “What the Bill seeks to do is to ensure that, look if for any reason there is an Imam, there is a pastor, there is an herbalist, whatever you may call the person, says that I can heal mental sickness, your activities need to be controlled, so that you don’t go and see human beings being tired to a tree and whipped every morning.” Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak said the Bill encourages a shift from the asylum system of keeping mentally ill persons to a community-base system that would enhance reintegration of rehabilitated persons. He said close to 40% contents of the Bill talks about the protection of patient. “Almost every possibility that can be used to abuse the person has been addressed.” He said Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh’s assertion on the Bill was misplaced, explaining that the “the hardworking” MP was not present when certain sections of the Bill was discussed at the committee level. “Unfortunately when we were discussing this Bill he was out of the country, so he didn’t sit in the discussion. He would have seen that his comments yesterday on the floor [of Parliament] with regards to the report wouldn’t have been necessary”.