Psychiatric hospitals would soon be built in all regional capitals in the country as part of plans for mental health care to be made more accessible, the Acting Chief Executive officer (CEO) of the Mental Health Authority (MHA), Dr. Akwasi Osei has hinted.

He explained that mental health was to be mainstreamed into general health care to ensure it was readily available for the detection of early signs and subsequent treatment.

Consequently, the authority had plans to create 20-bed psychiatric wings at the various regional hospitals in addition to the new 50-bed capacity hospital to be built and some beds would be provided at the district hospitals to admit mental health cases.

Dr. Osei gave the hint when he led some board members and other officials of MHA to visit the Ankaful Psychiatric Hospital to interact with staff and acquaint themselves with the state of the hospital in order to evolve measures to improve conditions.

The visit formed part of a two-day working tour of the hospital and some prayer camps in the Central Region.

Some key departments visited were the seven wards made up of three each of the male and female wards, Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Center, the dressmaking and industrial units and the laundry and catering departments.

Dr. Osei further disclosed that the MHA had plans to move into the various communities to focus on institutional mental health care, all in its efforts of downsizing it activities.

He added that the new development was also to reduce the number of cases handled at the various Psychiatric hospitals so they could have ample time to treat persons with serious conditions, adding that the legislative instrument which was needed to implement the mental health act would be ready by the end of the year.