Mental health units across the
Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions have taken delivery of psychotropic
drugs worth $4 million from Breast Care International through non-governmental
organization Basic Needs Ghana for supply to mental health patients.
Speaking at a media briefing to hand over the
medicines to beneficiary health directorates in Tamale, the Programmes Manager
for Basic Needs Ghana, Adam Dokurugu Yahaya, appealed to the facilities not to
sell the drugs to the mental health patients because persons with mental health
are the poorest in society.
“These medicines are worth over $4 million and
what we require of you is for you to keep accurate records of how you
distribute the medicines and report to us so that we can also report to Breast
Care International for onward submission for direct reliefs [from] the donors.”
Mr. Yahaya added that mental health has been
experiencing inadequate supply of medications and the situation has become very
dire, affecting mental health patients in the country in getting better
treatment for their conditions.
“As a development NGO who have been exploring
ways by which we can support mental health patients, we will embark on spot
checks to ascertain how the medicines are distributed to the patients,” he
added.
A psychiatric nurse at the Tamale Central
Hospital, Gertrude Delali Kpesese, who received the items on behalf of her
facility, applauded the donors and Basic Needs Ghana for the gesture and added
it will help the unit, which has been having issues with medication.
“We have been having issues with medication.
Patients come and we don’t have medication for them and even when we prescribe
for them to buy, they don’t have the money,” she lamented.
She appealed to government and other NGOs
to support mental health patients with drugs.
The medicines included 362 boxes of
Respiredone 0.25mlg, 0.5mlg, 1,2,3,4mlg, 40 boxes of
Olanzapine-Fluoxetine Hydrochloride 25-12mlg, 40 boxes of
Benztropine Mesylate 0.5mlg and 20 boxes of Citalopram Hydrobromide
10mlg.
Source:3new.com