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| Sheik Yakubu Abdul-Kareem |
Over four
thousand mentally ill and epileptic patients in the Northern Region could
relapse if steps are not taken immediately to ensure that their medications are
supplied uninterrupted to the various hospitals and health facilities where
they currently receive treatment.
The Executive Director of mental health
non-governmental organisation Gub-Katimali Society (GKS) Sheik Yakubu
Abdul-Kareem says, he fears the irregular supply and/or lack of medications for
such persons in the region could become worse if government does not move
quickly to intervene.
He observes that, persons with epilepsy and other
forms of mental illness are obliged to take their medications continuously in
order to recover, noting that, a skip in treatment for about a day or more can
make patients who are currently on treatment relapse seriously.
“…automatically, if you are sick and you don’t
actually have the regular treatment by all means you’ll relapse. We want to
appeal to government to make these medicines available at the regional,
district and community levels so that people suffering from such illnesses can
access treatment,” Sheik Yakubu told Savannahnews on the sidelines
of the Northern Regional Alliance on Mental Health and Development meeting in
Tamale.
Checks by this blogger however confirmed that, since the
beginning of 2014, the Northern Regional Psychiatric Unit of the Ghana Health
Service has not received any consignment of psychoactive and antiepileptic
medicines for epileptic and mentally ill patients.
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| mentally ill at a treatment centre elsewhere in Ghana |
Regional Psychiatric Nurse John Abdulai Ibrahim, who
spoke to this reporter, also expressed concern that the condition of patients already
on treatment could deteriorate once there are no medicines for them to continue
to take. “Although one can buy such medicines in the pharmacy, they’re very
expensive and hence, government’s decision to supply them free of charge to
patients nationwide”, he noted.
However, Mr. Ibrahim attributed the seemingly dire
situation to the way and manner medications meant for persons with epilepsy and
other forms of mental illness are treated with disdain and derision by
policymakers.
He said anytime the medications are imported into the
country, they go through a long bureaucratic process at the habour before eventually
being released for the various District Hospitals to pick them up themselves in
Accra. He said failure to go and pick up the medications themselves meant that mentally
ill patients will be left to their own fate.
“Lack of
transportation and money to fuel vehicles to go and bring the medications is
also a major challenge. Besides, the medications are always insufficient and so
when you hear they’re in and you delay in going to pick yours, you may not get
it at all until the next consignment is imported. It’s first come, first serve”,
he disclosed.
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| Mentally being chained at a prayer camp somewhere in GH |
At the end of 2013, about 4,641 mentally ill and
epileptic cases were recorded as against 4, 082 cases recorded in previous years
including 2012. The figures, though reducing at a minimal rate, constitute
about 60 percent of persons with only epilepsy according to Mr. Ibrahim.
He said medications are supposed to be supplied by the
Ministry of Health four times in a year (quarterly) to the Northern Region. But,
the region in the whole of 2013 received only one out of the four consignments promised
which obviously was inadequate for over twenty district hospitals.
Meanwhile, the formation of the Northern Regional
Alliance on Mental Health and Development was mooted following the inception of
the concept of mental health and development project in the Northern Region by
BasicNeeds Ghana and GKS.
The objective of the concept was among other things, to
partner with institutions, individuals and other civil society organisations, which
share similar vision as promoting the rights of persons with mental illness and
epilepsy, and advocate for support for them on any platform they find
themselves.
Sheik Yakubu told this paper, that the major challenge
currently facing the Alliance is the inactiveness of many members with regards
to attending meetings, and urged institutions, organisations and individuals
who are members of the Alliance to be up and doing.
Members of the Alliance include the Department of
Social Welfare, Department of Gender, Children and Social Protection, National
Commission on Civic Education, Mental Health Society of Ghana, Psychiatric Unit
of Ghana Health Service, Amasachina Self-Help Association and other
institutions.
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