Staff of the Ankaful Psychiatric Hospital, have locked out their patients in a protest demanding the removal of the hospital's director, Dr. Eugene Dordoryi, from office.

The nurses say three weeks after they petitioned the Health Ministry and the Ghana Health Service over developments at the facility, nothing has been done about their grievances.

Joy News’ Correspondent, Richard Kwadwo Nyarko who visited the mental health facility Thursday reported the staff as claiming that Dr. Eugene Dordoryi has repeatedly ignored their concerns.

They claim that he gives the hospital's vehicles to his family and friends for unofficial trips and use.

People who visited the facility only met empty wards while pieces of red cloth hung on the offices that remained locked with no one attending to the patients.

After notifying their authorities about their situation, the nurses said they also held several news conferences and made follow-ups with the relevant authorities but they are yet to receive any feedback. 

The sit-down strike the nurses say, is one of the processes they planned to do after the expiration of the notice they served the Health Ministry, the reporter told Nhyira Addo on the Super Morning Show on Joy FM Thursday, November 23.

“The situation that is currently developing at the Ankaful Psychiatric Hospital represents one of the few cases that no one is caring about the situation of mental health care,” he reported.

The Ankaful Psychiatric Hospital, built in 1965 in the Central Region, has a capacity of 500 beds but currently has 150 in-patients.

The reduction in the number of in-patients is due to dwindling number of nurses and doctors there coupled with inadequate funding which is a key constraint to the delivery of quality healthcare to the public.