As such, we are proud to bring to you short profiles of those who make up the board. June 2012 volume 46, number 2supplement ghana medical journal 29 mental health research in ghana. A crosssectional qualitative study with 12 participants, using semistructured interviews. K doku2 1department of anthropology, university college london, 14 taviton st, london, uk, wc1h 0bw 2p o box 060, institute of psychiatry, kings college london, denmark hill, london, se5 8af. This years world mental health day celebration was marked with a press briefing at the conference room of the mental health authority. The data protection act, 2012 the act is legislation enacted by the parliament of the republic of ghana to protect the privacy and personal data of individuals. Feb 10, 2017 the organisations, basicneeds ghana and the mental health society of ghana mehsog, said the lack of progress in getting the li approved for the past five years hindered the full implementation. A new mental health act 846 2012 was passed in 2012 and was awaiting government to establish the.
This study aims to describe the views of key stakeholders in mental health in ghana on the challenges faced with regard to the implementation of. The passing of the act was a culmination of a lot of work by various individuals and institutions spanning several decades. Mental health care is becoming a critical international concern, but developing countries are still straining to attend to the mental health needs of their suffering and stigmatized citizens. The status of mental health care in ghana, west africa and. Ghanas mental health act 2012 a study of the actors and strategies in setting the public policy agenda. Act 846 mental health act, 2012 arrangement of sections. Stigma, discrimination, and social exclusion of the. Jun 28, 2018 many countries have passed mental health acts. To achieve the targets for the reduction of child mortality, which forms mdg 4, ghana should reduce underfive deaths per 1,000 live births to 43, and increase measles immunisation to 100 per cent by 2015. An act to revise and consolidate the law relating to public. With the passing of the ghanas mental health act in 2012, one will have thought that people with mental health issues will be treated with utmost respect and dignity as stipulated in. This survey provides data on the mental health system in ghana for the year 2011. Oct 10, 2017 on the eve of world mental health day, october 10, 2017, a coalition of nongovernmental organisations called on the finance minister, mr ken oforiatta, to set up a levy to support ghanas mental health services as required by the countrys mental health act 2012.
This study aims to describe the views of key stakeholders in mental health in ghana on the challenges faced with regard to the implementation of, and priorities for implementation of, the 2012 mental health act of ghana. Countryterritory ghana document type legislation date 2012 source fao, faolex long title an act to revise and consolidate the law relating to public health to prevent disease, promote, safeguard, maintain and protect the health of humans and animals and to provide for related matters. Mental health policy in ghana has historically been unfeasible and poorly implemented. An act to authorise things done before the day on which this act is passed in the purported exercise of functions relating to the approval of registered medical practitioners and clinicians under the mental health act 1983. The act was first introduced in the ghana parliament in 2010, but was subsequently withdrawn by the then minister of communications, haruna iddrisu, to be revised. Peter yaro is the director of basic needs, a nonprofit which assists people with mental disabilities in ghana. Parliament passed the bill in 2012, which then received presidential assent on may 10, 2012. The authors examine treatment and societys perception of mental illness through the lenses of stigma, discrimination and social exclusion, and human rights. An assessment of mental health policy in ghana, south africa. This was very welcome news since it was long overdue as per the stipulations in the mental health law, act 846. June 2012 volume 46, number 2supplement ghana medical journal. Sale of tobacco products administrative and miscellaneous provisions 69. Oct 09, 2017 executive director of basicneeds ghana.
It regulates the process personal information is acquired, kept, used or disclosed by data controllers and data processors by requiring compliance with certain data protection principles. The notice of the act was gazetted on 18 may 2012, and in accordance with section 99, the act came into effect on 16 october 2012. On the 19th of november, 20, the mental health authority board was inaugrated. The who mental health policy checklist was used to evaluate the most current mental health policy. It was seen as an improvement on the mental disorders act of 1916 minde, 1975, but.
It supplies essential planning information for the implementation of ghanas new mental health act 846 of 2012, a renewal of the ghana 5 year plan for mental health and it contributes to international knowledge base on mental health. Examples include sweden act 2003 in october 2005 and india act, 1987 effected in 1993 which replaced the indian lunacy act, 1912. Public health act, 2012 act 851 food and agriculture. Approximately half of the countries in the african region had a mental health policy by 2005, but little is known about quality of mental health policies in africa and globally. Furthermore, a critical analysis of the act, would re veal that the problem of mental health is not just a health matter, but has social implications as well. May 04, 2014 a new mental health act 846 of 2012 passed in 2012 is refocussing the way mental health services are to be provided, moving from an institutional model to a communitybased approach. Ghanas mental health act 2012 a study of the actors and. To address this, in march 2012, ghana passed mental health act 846, which established a mental health commission and outlined protections for individuals with mental health needs. The new act is also designed to combat stigma and discrimination against mentally ill people which is as rife in ghana as elsewhere. This study assessed the situation of mental health care in ghana, an anglophone democratic republic in west africa. This paper reports the results of an assessment of the mental health policies of ghana, south africa, uganda and zambia. The mental health act of 2012 lays out the legislative framework for a levy, and says the finance minister should set. It is a nongovernmental organization which works to represent the needs and interest of people with mental illness or epilepsy as well as their primary caregivers and families or in appropriate for a.
Nongovernmental funding for mental health in ghana 17. On the eve of world mental health day, october 10, 2017, a coalition of nongovernmental organisations called on the finance minister, mr ken oforiatta, to set up a levy to support ghanas mental health services as required by the countrys mental health act 2012. The act includes provisions for the creation of a modern, communitybased mental. Ghanas mental health bill has gained the support of doctors, nurses and traditional healers and can serve as a model for other african countries wishing to develop progressive mental health laws that respect international human rights standards. Whoaims report template who world health organization.
Help to get li on mental health act approved graphic. Mental health approval functions act 2012 2012 chapter 18. Ghana is currently working towards achievement of the millennium development goals. It provides a baseline from which to measure future progress in ghana and. Aug 12, 2015 with the passing of the ghanas mental health act in 2012, one will have thought that people with mental health issues will be treated with utmost respect and dignity as stipulated in act 846 of. Ghana is particularly relevant to this discourse as country leadership is poised to make substantial improvements in mental health services since the recent passing of their mental health bill, which calls for better integration of mental health into the ghanaian national health services mental health act 846 of 2012. Ghana urged to abolish shackling of mental health patients.
A reflection on ghanas mental health system mdedge. The challenges faced by individuals with mental illness in ghana are due to the prevailing. Although ghana signed the united nations convention on the rights of persons with disabilities in march 2007, the government took until august 2012 to ratify it an estimated five million ghanaians have disabilities, of which 2. The name of this act, with the emphasis on mental health rather than mental disorders, heralded a more positive, forwardlooking attitude towards people with mental health problems minde, 1975. Mental health society of ghana mehsog is a broadbased grassroots membership association of mental health and epilepsy service users and their primary carergivers with members across ghana. The organisations, basicneedsghana and the mental health society of ghana mehsog, said the lack of progress in getting the li approved for the past five years hindered the full implementation. The passage of the mental health act 2012 by parliament in march 2012 is a major milestone in addressing mental health as a public health issue and also in the protection of the human rights of people with mental disorders in ghana. The mental health bill is a draft law that acknowledges the current international instruments and obligations on human rights as an important tool to promote and protect the rights of persons with. The mental health system in ghana mental health innovation network. Psychiatry in ghana is neglected in health care and research. In managing these patients, psychotropic medications are mostly employed.
The ghana country health profiles provide an overview of the situation and trends of priority health problems and the health systems profile, including a description of institutional frameworks, trends in the national response, key issues and challenges. World mental health day 2019 press briefing at the mental health authority conference room on 10th october, 2019. The mental health act of 2012 lays out the legislative framework for a levy, and says the finance minister should set up this resource to fund mental health. The government of ghana in a bid to address the mental healthcare challenges enacted the mental health act 2012 act 846 as well as instituted the mental health authority. A mental health policy, plan and mental health legislation exist in ghana. In 1972 adomakoh proclaimed in this journal there is a dearth of detailed knowledge of psychiatric illness in this country. Stigma, discrimination, and social exclusion of the mentally. This study attempted to investigate the actors who spearheaded the passage of the law and to analyse the strategies used by the actors to set the agenda and get. A crosssectional qualitative study with 12 participants, using. Mental illness is seen as a spiritual problem, driving the families of those with mental problems to seek spiritual solutions. An assessment of mental health policy in ghana, south. However, there exists an absence of information on efficacy, side effects, accessibility. A new mental health act 846 of 2012 passed in 2012 is refocussing the way mental health services are to be provided, moving from an institutional model to a communitybased approach.
They promote evidencebased health policymaking through a comprehensive and rigorous analysis of the dynamics of the health. The mental health act mha seeks to protect persons with mental illness. In ghana, the recent mental health act mha was passed in 2012. According to akwasi osei, the medical director of ghanas main psychiatric referral hospital, accra psychiatric, that should change when the countrys mental health act is implemented. Ghana health service and teaching hospitals act ghs act525 hprba act857 20 mental health act 846 2012 national health insurance act 2012 act 852 pharmacy act. The government of ghana in a bid to address the mental healthcare challenges enacted the mental health act 2012act 846 as well as instituted the mental health authority. List of best mental health care companies in accra, ghana, top mental health care companies in accra, ghana, mental health care companies near me, best mental health care companies. Help to get li on mental health act approved graphic online. The act includes provisions for the creation of a modern, communitybased.
The mental health bill was drafted in 2004 but was eventually passed in 2012 after some pressure was put on government to pass the law in order to improve access to mental health care. In 2012 ghana passed a new mental health act, which aimed to create a new system of mental healthcare in ghana. Emergency and disaster plans for mental health do not exist. Ghana suffer from a severe mental disorder and further 2. Ghana successfully passed a mental health act law in march 2012. Ghana health service and teaching hospitals act ghs act525 hprba act857 20 mental health act 846 2012 national health insurance act 2012 act 852 pharmacy act 1994 act 489 public health act 851. Since most of these conditions are chronic cases, the medications are consumed for prolonged periods of time.
We argue that being diagnosed with mental illness in a developing country has a significant impact on virtually every area of ones life. In recent years, the delivery of mental health services in ghana has expanded substantially, especially since the passing of the mental health act in 2012. The current mental health act the passage of the mental health act 2012 by parliament in march 2012 is a major milestone in addressing mental health as a public health issue and also in the protection of the human rights of people with mental disorders in ghana. The study showed the significant role played by domestic actors. Oct 27, 2017 in ghana and most african countries, the belief and practice of witchcraft and its relation to mental illnesses and seeking of mental health treatments from native doctorstraditional healings and spiritualprayer camps healers are common and these traditionalnative healers are regarded as part of the wider cultural belief systems amoasare 1994. In this regard, the financing of mental health care should not be the sole responsibility of the ministry of health. Until now we really didnt have any solution, says osei.
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