Surge in mentally ill on Accra streets raises safety concerns

The Mental Health Authority faces a significant challenge. There is a shortage of adequate psychiatric facilities. This issue hinders their operations in Accra.

Many mentally unstable individuals are on the streets. The lack of space for proper housing is a major obstacle. Dr. Josephine Stiles Darko spoke to Channel One News about this.

She emphasized the need for collaboration among stakeholders. In 2023, the Authority announced an ambitious plan. They aim to remove over 6,000 mentally ill persons from the streets.

These individuals would be relocated to care facilities for treatment. However, progress has stalled after two years. Certain factors have contributed to this delay.

Dr. Darko noted that the initiative has not been large scale. It has been slow due to practical issues in caring for these individuals. The authority continues to work on it, but at a smaller scale.