Plans are underway to appoint District Mental Coordinators to take care of issues of mental health in the various districts and to liaise with the Regional Coordinators for effective mental health care delivery.  

This was revealed by the CEO of the Mental Health Authority, Dr Akwesi Osei, at the annual performance review organised by the Mental Health Authority in Ho.

 According to Dr Osei, the appointment of the District Coordinators will also decentralise mental health care delivery in the country.

He also said the Authority will set up Mental Health Tribunals to take care of issues about the human rights of mental health patients and allegations of forceful custody of alleged mental health patients.

“We also going to appoint Visiting Committee to visit all centers with mental health and report back to the Regional Coordinators for action to be taken,” he said.

Dr Akwesi Osei lamented the lack of funds to adequately take care of patients and workers. He said for some time now, some workers in the mental healthcare delivery have been agitating over poor salaries and conditions of service.

He also said that the Authority is working towards dealing with the shortage of psychotropic medicines at the various hospitals to address the increasing number of mental patients on the streets.

Speaking at the program, the Deputy Volta Regional Minister, Maxwell Kofi Blagodzi, said the Volta Regional Coordinating Council in its quest to promote mental health care in the region will support the  Mental Health Authority and its committees to facilitate the execution of their mandates.