Government committed to Mental Health Act — Paul Evans
The government is committed to the development of the legislative instrument (LI) that will guarantee the full operationalisation of the Mental Health Act (Act 846), the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Paul Evans Aidoo, has assured.
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He noted that the LI would help to preserve the rights of persons with mental disorders, especially rights relating to equality and non-discrimination, right to privacy and freedom from inhuman and degrading treatment, among other needs.
The regional minister, who gave the assurance at the opening of the annual general meeting of the Mental Health Society of Ghana (MEHSOG) in Sunyani, also said with the passage of the act, ‘‘Government remains committed and determined to achieve a development agenda that involves all the benefits of members of the society.’’
The theme for the meeting was: ‘‘Full Implementation of the Mental Health Act: A Means to Bringing Relief to Users and Survivors.’’
In line with Article 47 of the MEHSOG constitution, the national secretariat of MEHSOG was established in January 2010, to serve as the physical embodiment of the society to run the affairs of the group.
There are 20,320 people with mental illness and epilepsy registered with MEHSOG in 56 districts in six regions of the country, namely Greater Accra, Brong Ahafo, Ashanti, Northern, Upper East and Upper West, where 120 self-help groups have also been formed.
The districts in the Brong Ahafo Region which have the groups are Tain, Sunyani West, Sunyani Municipal, Pru, Atebubu/Amantin, Sene East and Sene West.
The society is supported by the Department Fund for International Development (DFID) of the United Kingdom (UK), through BasicNeeds, a non-governmental organisation.
Mr Aidoo was convinced (due to the 20,320 membership) that there was even a large number of people with mental illness who had been incapacitated by their ill health and thus not contributing in any meaningful way to national development.
He said mental illness and epilepsy were extremely debilitating, as the condition made it impossible for the country to maximise the use of human resources and subtracted from the pool, contributions that people who suffered from mental illness and epilepsy could potentially make towards national development.
The Project Co-ordinator of BasicNeeds, Mr Timothy Kayelle, appealed to the various assemblies to make available to persons with disability the two and a half per cent of the common fund to enable them to undertake small businesses to improve their livelihoods.
The Executive Secretary of MEHSOG, Mr Humphrey Coffie, in his report, noted that with the support of the advisory board of MEHSOG and the national executives of the society, the secretariat had undertaken several interventions and activities.