Lack of psychiatrists affecting mental healthcare in Bono East Region – Dr Appiah
There is not even one psychiatrist in the Bono East Region, making detection and treatment of mental health issues a bit challenging.
Currently the region rely on a few psychiatrist health nurses to manage mental health cases.
The Bono East Regional Director of Health Services, Dr Paulina Clara Appiah, who disclosed this to the Ghanaian Times here, said during emergencies situation mental health cases had to be referred to other facilities such as Komfo Anokye Teaching hospital and others across the country.
She was speaking on the sidelines of the 2024 Annual performance review of Bono East Regional Health Directorate at Kintampo.
It was on the theme: ‘Bridging the Gap in Access and Quality Health Service for Universal Health coverage: The Role of Network of Practice.’
According to the national population conscious, the Bono East Region has a population of 1,308,861 with eleven administrative districts.
To address the issue, Dr Appiah called for the training of clinicians made up physiotherapists and audiologists among other health practitioners to enable them provide such services in health facilities in the region.
She also announced that “uneven distribution” of health workers to rural communities in the region was affecting efficient healthcare delivery in the area.
According her a total of 230 health workers posted to the region last year, most of them rejected their postings due to high cost of accommodation, inadequate working facilities affecting doctor-patient population ratio in the region.
She, however, appealed to traditional authorities, especially those in rural communities to assist in providing affordable accommodation to health workers to make their stay worthwhile.
The Bono Regional Health Director said despite these difficulties, health workers in the region continued to discharge their duties credibly
The region, she emphasized, scored 4.2 per cent out 5 per cent in 2023 national performance review being the highest for the health service.
This performance, she said, was achieved due to the reduction in maternal mortality cases saying a few cases that were recorded were due to hypertension and haemorrhage issues.
The Bono East Regional Minister, Francis Owusu Antwi, in address indicated that government was working to upgrade health centres to modern health centres to provide quality health care to all Ghanaians irrespective of their financial backgrounds.
The primary health care policy, he stated, was Ghana’s approach in achieving universal health coverage aimed at making healthcare accessible to all at the point of needs.
This, he noted, would help Ghana achieve the sustainable Development Goals three by 2030 by World Health Organisation.
He assured to provide accommodation for health workers, especially those in rural communities of the region
FROM DANIEL DZIRASAH, KINTAMPO
