The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has called on government to prioritize mental healthcare in Ghana.
He said mental health cannot be relegated to the background as had been done over the years amid the rising cases of mental disorder.
The Asantehene made the call in a speech read for him at the 59th annual conference of the Ghana Medical Association, underway in Kumasi.
“Mental health in Ghana” is the theme for the four-day meeting.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu asked the government to provide the Mental Health Authority with adequate financial and logistical support to effectively discharge its mandate.
He added that mental health laws and related legislation should be made to work to address mental health problems facing the country.
The King also used the occasion to highlight the need to move quickly to implement the agreed conditions of service for medical doctors.
Working conditions of doctors
Dr. Akwasi Osei, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Mental Health Authority on his part, identified drug abuse as the major cause of mental disorders, and said between 20-30 per cent of out-patient department (OPD) mental cases, and 8 per cent in-patient admissions were drug-related.
He warned against legalizing marijuana use and said that could be disastrous for the nation’s mental health system.
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Source: GNA