With
increasing cases of mental health related illnesses in the country, the
Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG), is urging organisations to take a
critical look at mental health and promote it at their workplaces.
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| Dr. James Duah |
Dr.
James Duah, Deputy Executive Director of CHAG touched on the relevance of metal
health at the work place in order to ensure productivity of the employees,
adding that poor performance of worker who hitherto were at their peak, could
be related to Mental Illness.
He
made the appeal at the St. Joseph Hospital, Effiduase, Koforidua, during a
CHAG/UKAID Training Workshop on the Management of Mentally Ill Persons for
Faith-Based/Prayer Camp Leaders and Traditional Healers in the Eastern Region.
The
Deputy Executive Director, stated that delusions, depression, suicidal
tendencies, isolation or quietness, hallucination and one’s inability to cope
with the normal daily stress of life, as well as hampered ability to relate
well with others, were some symptoms that suggests that people were suffering
from mental illness.
Noting
that one out of four (4) persons in Ghana were at risk of being mentally ill,
Dr. Duah, observed that society was becoming chaotic because we often fail to
detect the symptoms of mental illness in people.
He
also noted that the burden of mental illness in Ghana was 13%, adding that
about 41% of Ghanaians were having one psychological problem.
In
managing the cases, Dr. Duah, called on Ghanaians to support the treatment of
persons suffering from mental illnesses, stressing that a lot of mental health
issues needed physical therapy and psychosocial support.
He
noted that the Faith based groups, traditional healers, prayer camps leaders and
other stakeholders could help in reassuring and counselling patients, as well
as refer them to health facilities for them to be attended to.
The
Deputy Executive Director in acknowledging the enormous challenge mental
illness poses to everyone in the country, urged Ghanaians to focus on it, since
it affected everyone.
Rev.
Br. Johannes Torwoe, Superior of the St. John of God Brothers at Koforidua, who
chaired the function, encouraged Ghanaians to undertake regular health check, be
prayerful, not to drink when faced with problems, love one another, and be each
other’s keeper.
He
urged people to also watch out for the early warning signs of mental illness,
and connect to care or refer them to health facilities.
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| Dr. Duah addressing the participants |
Mr.
Victus Kwaku Kpessese, Executive Secretary of Health for the Koforidua Diocese
and the Local CHAG Chairman, urged participants to work together to promote
mental health in the Eastern Region.
He
suggested the creation of a platform to address the challenges and question
bothering on mental health or those that may arise during care provision.
About
500 participants attended the training workshop, sponsored by the UKAID. Among
them were operators of Prayer Camps and Traditional Healers in rural areas; Mental
Health Nurses and Chaplains drawn from CHAG facilities in the Eastern Region, as
well as some managers of the health facilities.
The
participants shared some experiences and expressed their gratitude for the
knowledge learnt, which they say would go a long way to impact on their operations.
At
the programme, Dr. Duah, also launched the Golden Jubilee of CHAG, while paying
glowing tributes to the founding members of the Association and commending
their commitment and sacrifices in living their roles that has contributed to
the success of CHAG.
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