NPA donates GH¢100,000 worth of items to Accra Psychiatric Hospital
The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) has donated assorted food, non-food and sanitary items valued at about GH¢100,000 to the Accra Psychiatric Hospital as part of activities marking Father’s Day and Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month.
The items, presented on Saturday, included cooking oil, bottled water, towels, mosquito nets, toothbrushes, insecticide, detergent, bathing soap, washing powder, sugar, rice and mattresses.
Prior to the presentation, officials of the Authority toured various sections of the hospital to familiarise themselves with the challenges confronting patients and staff, as well as to identify areas for possible collaboration.
Presenting the items, the Director of Corporate Affairs at the NPA, Mrs Maria Edith Oquaye, explained that the gesture formed part of the Authority’s corporate social responsibility programme.
She noted that the initiative was intended to show love and support to fathers and male patients at the facility.
Mrs Oquaye emphasised that beyond the provision of material support, spending time with patients and listening to their experiences was equally important.
She further indicated that June was globally recognised as Mental Health Awareness Month and urged the public to pay greater attention to mental health issues.
She explained that mental health challenges could affect anyone and might arise from various circumstances, including genetic factors.
Mrs Oquaye also conveyed a pledge on behalf of the Chief Executive of the NPA that the Authority would continue to support the hospital in the future.
Receiving the items on behalf of the Medical Director, a Medical Officer, Dr Joseph Agbenyega Atsutse, expressed gratitude to the NPA for the gesture.
He noted that the donation would go a long way to support the care of patients, particularly those without relatives or visitors to cater for their needs.
Dr Atsutse explained that the hospital housed many vagrant patients who had either been abandoned or had no known family members, making such donations essential to their welfare.
He described the gesture as one of compassion and expressed the hope that other corporate organisations and individuals would emulate the example set by the NPA.
The medical officer further appealed for increased public support, stressing that the Accra Psychiatric Hospital relied heavily on donations to sustain its operations.
According to him, several renovation projects at the facility had been undertaken through the support of non-governmental organisations and benevolent groups.
BY JACOB AGGREY
