Accra, April 1, GNA - President Atta Mills on Thursday made a surprise visit to the Accra Psychiatric Hospital and assured medical staff and patients that Government would improve the procurement of medicines and other facilities for better care for mental patients.

Drugs at the hospital currently would last for only the next four months, requiring an emergency intervention by the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service.

During the visit, President Mills interacted with health personnel, patients and authorities, saying that his interaction should be seen as part of moves to effect a change in attitude towards mental health patients, deal with stigma, and a complete overhaul of Ghana's health delivery system. President Mills was briefed by Dr Akwasi Osei, the Chief Psychiatrist of the Hospital, who described the visit as a touching one by a sitting president for years.

An inspection of the male ward by journalists later showed an overcrowded yard with many of the patients lying on mats or on the bare floor. Later in a chat with journalists, Dr Osei said the present health system was designed for the past 50 years, and called for the passage of the Mental Health Bill which, he said, would bring a complete overhaul of Ghana's health care delivery system.

He said there were 1200 patients against 400 beds and that 150 of the cases were drug related.

Six hundred of the patients were well to go home but had not gone due to stigma and rejection.

The Chief Psychiatrist said the Hospital faced serious security problems, citing an instance in which a patient recently gouged the eye of a nurse and another instance where a patient killed another patient. He called for the improvement of the service conditions of mental health personnel.

According to Dr Osei, the nurses had not been given their uniform for the past seven years, when their colleagues in other health institutions kept receiving their uniforms twice every year. He added that the hospital was in arrears of 1.1 million cedis for this year alone, and owed more than 2.0 million cedis for the past four years. He also announced that the hospital had just got its release from Government. Dr Osei called for compassion for mental patients, as well as a campaign to reduce stigma.

He appealed for regular visits by policymakers, Members of Parliament and other well-meaning people in society. 01 April 10