Centre for Mental Health calls for Support function effectively

By Jerry Azanduna, GNA

Basyonde (UE) March 5, GNA - The Passion for Total Care, Psychosocial Medical and Rehabilitation Centre, a non-governmental organisation on Monday called on individuals and benevolent organisations to support them with resources that will enable them render the needed services to the people.

The Centre, aimed at providing mental care for people with mental illness at Basyonde in the Garu-Tempane district of the Upper East Region, was challenged with a number of problems such as lack of beds, mattresses, medicine, rehabilitation equipment, portable drinking water for the inmates and transportation among others.

Mr Emmanuel Richard Avadetsi, the Chief Executive Officer of the centre, made the call when the Ghana News Agency (GNA) visited the facility to ascertain its progress since it was established barely a year ago.

He said the centre was established after a research carried by some prospective psychiatric students, on the factors that influence the choice of place of treatment among the mentally ill persons, showed that many of them in the Basyonde area and the region were not fairly treated, some were chained down and maltreated, which hindered their recovery.

He said the relatives of the mentally ill persons were not happy and advocated that a better care centre was put up to provide a good and conducive place for care and cure as well as reduce stigma on such persons.

He said since its establishment, the centre had so far admitted 46 patients with 31 treated and discharged. The remaining 15, which included two females and thirteen males were being attended to.

Mr Avadetsi said the clients suffered conditions such as depression, alcoholism, seizure disorders, schizophrenia and substance abuse among others.

He called on the Members of Parliament in the region, philanthropists, individuals and the general public to support the facility to serve the people better since government could not presently provide such a facility in the region. 

GNA

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