Group calls for adequate funding for mental health services in Ghana

A coalition of Non-governmental groups is calling on government to ensure adequate funding for mental health services in Ghana.

This according to them is a crucial step to eliminating the widespread practice of shackling and other abuses against people with psycho social disabilities.
 
As World Mental Health Day is observed Tuesday, October 10, the coalition further called on the Finance Minister to set a levy to support mental health services, as stipulated in the Mental Health Act.

The Executive Director of Basic Needs Ghana, Peter Yaro said It’s been five years since the passage of the Mental Health Act therefore it is high time government invested  in community-based mental health services so people with psychosocial disabilities can get the support they want, instead of ending up in chains. 
 
The coalition said people with mental health conditions in Ghana should no longer be subjected to inhumane treatment adding that they deserve the same dignity and respect as anyone else. 

The coalition has therefore launched a social media campaign, to combat the stigma associated with mental health, and push for government to fulfill its commitments under the Mental Health Act and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

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