The Chief Psychiatrist of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Akwasi Osei has emphasized the need for Parliament to pass the Mental Health Bill to address the challenges facing mental health care and avert an imminent collapse of the institution. Dr Akwasi Osei said the non-passage of the Bill is a major contributing factor to the huge problems facing mental health care in the country. Newspaper reports on Wednesday disclosed that the Accra Psychiatric Hospital is on the verge of being closed down due to its inability to pay its debts and constant harassment by creditors, some of whom have taken legal action against the institution. The Deputy Medical Administrator of the Hospital, Dr Osei Owusu who made the revelation said the Hospital owed creditors about GHS 2.5 million which it could not pay hence the closing down of the hospital. But speaking on Dwaso Nsem on Adom FM, Dr Akwasi Osei said the institution was not closing down entirely but wanted to highlight the crises which is weighing them down and the consequences for Ghanaians should the unthinkable happen. He explained that the debt had been accumulated over the past five years, since 2006, saying they owed mainly food suppliers, pharmaceutical companies and those who provide them with disinfectants and repellents, among other chemicals. He added that congestion at the hospital was a contributing factor as very often people do not come back for their cured relatives, therefore putting a strain on the resources of the institution since they have to feed them and allow them to use their facilities for free. Dr Osei blamed the problems on the lack of proper structures for mental health treatment and not government, explaining that although the budgetary allocation for the mental health sector is quite substantial, the system renders the funds inadequate. He stated that the poor structures will continue to put the Hospital in debt so the payment of the GHS 2.5 million will not solve the problem if it is not overhauled. He disclosed that Ghana’s mental health care allocation is actually one of the highest if not the highest in the West African sub-region with 3.8 percent while others get about one percent. He said the document was prepared about six years ago but has but has been gathering dust due to non implementation. He disclosed that initially, they had a difficulty getting the bill approved by the Ministry of Health but now it has passed that stage and is in Parliament where it is facing another challenge. Dr Akwasi Osei said the delay in passing the bill could be because parliament lacks the will to pass the Bill. He disclosed that the Vice President has promised to intervene and liaise with parliament to get the bill passed and they are avidly looking forward to the fulfillment of that promise. He appealed to Members of Parliament to quicken the process and pass the bill into law in order that posterity does not judge them and Ghanaians in general for the collapse of the sector. Source: Adom FM/Ghana