Twelve mental health workers from private and public health facilities in the Ashanti Region have undergone a five-day training to sharpen their skills.

The training workshop, the first in the series, is part of a five year programme initiated by the Trinity Clinic at Pankrono in Kumasi and Axis Health Wellbeing Service and Fulcrum Medical Practice in the UK.

Mental Health practitioners from New Edubiase, Tafo, Offinso, Tepa, Bekwai, Ejisu-Juaben government hospitals and Trinity Clinic benefited from the programme. Other sessions will be held periodically for the next five years.

Briefing the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Mr Emmanuel Obeng, Ashanti Regional Coordinator of Mental Health said, the programme is aimed at updating the competence of mental health workers to bring them at par with modern mental health practice to enable them deliver to optimum.

Mr. Obeng called on the government to as a matter of urgency to put in place the mental health Board to facilitate the smooth implementation of the Mental Health Bill which has been passed by parliament.

Ms Tina Clark, Manager of the Fulcrum Medical Practice who led the four-member delegation from the UK, commended the Ghanaian mental health personnel for their dedication and commitment towards the treatment and management of mental health cases in the region and the country as a whole.

She urged mental health practitioners in the country to remain professional and treat their client to encourage them to seek attention in case they suffered relapse.

Wendy Shepherd, a Psychotherapist and a trainer called on Ghanaians not to stigmatised mental patients, which she said is a major challenge in the fight against mental health care the world over.

She expressed concern about the addiction of most youth in the country to narcotic drugs and called for more to be done to help stem the tide since it stood the chance of destroying the nation’s future labour force.

Ms Shepherd called for the intensification of public education on mental health for relatives of people suffering from mental ailments to bring them out and seek treatment.

Among the skills the personnel acquired were 'Talking Therapy', new skills in counseling, training in supervision and self-supporting skills among other things.**