By Albert Futukpor
Tamale, Oct. 08, GNA – Forty-two health facilities in 14 districts across six regions have received various items to improve counselling, mental health and psychosocial support services for vulnerable women and girls.
The items are to help improve counselling spaces for pregnant women, adolescent girls and newly delivered mothers, particularly those affected by HIV/TB and survivors of gender-based violence who require mental health and psychosocial support services.
They included sets of furniture, ceiling fans, air conditioners, and other health equipment.
The beneficiary facilities, comprising 14 district hospitals and 28 sub-district and community health facilities, are located in the Tamale, Gushegu, West Mamprugu, Talensi, Bolgatanga, Daffiama-Busei-Issah, Lawra, West Gonja, Central Gonja, Sunyani, Sunyani East, Ashaiman and Ga West areas.
The items were donated by BasicNeeds-Ghana, a non-governmental organisation, as part of its project to strengthen community health systems by integrating HIV/TB, sexual and reproductive health, and mental health and psychosocial support services for vulnerable women and girls.
Dr Peter Badimak Yaro, Executive Director of BasicNeeds-Ghana, speaking at the presentation of the items to representatives of the beneficiary health facilities in Tamale, said the intervention was in response to gaps identified in mental health support for women and girls of reproductive age.
He said mental health challenges could negatively affect sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health outcomes, while mental health and psychosocial support services remained inadequate within HIV/TB and maternal and child health services.
Dr Yaro said 1,304 healthcare workers, including 782 females, had been trained to integrate mental health and psychosocial support into antenatal and postnatal care and HIV/TB treatment.
He said 17,799 pregnant women, adolescent girls and newly delivered mothers had so far been screened, with 7,261 identified as requiring brief psychosocial interventions.
Dr Yaro said BasicNeeds-Ghana and its partners had also undertaken health facility and community-level awareness activities on perinatal mental health and HIV/TB voluntary testing, as well as “know your status” campaigns.
Professor Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), commended BasicNeeds-Ghana for the intervention, saying the project complemented efforts of the Service to ensure that women experiencing mental health challenges received appropriate support as part of healthcare delivery.
He said integrating mental health and psychosocial support into maternal and child health services was critical to improving health outcomes for pregnant and postpartum women.
Prof Akoriyea said the GHS would continue to collaborate with BasicNeeds-Ghana and other partners to strengthen such interventions.
He said the GHS also recognised the need to incorporate mental health and psychosocial support into HIV/TB treatment and would work towards making that an integral part of service delivery.
He urged the beneficiary facilities to promptly deploy and properly maintain the items to ensure that they served their intended purposes.
Mr Ali Adolf John, Northern Regional Minister, in a speech read on his behalf, said the intervention would help to provide safe, confidential and respectful spaces for women, adolescents and other vulnerable persons seeking health and psychosocial support.
He urged the beneficiary facilities to take good care of the items and ensure that they were used for their intended purposes.
Dr Eugene Dordoye, Acting Chief Executive of the Ghana Mental Health Authority, in a speech read on his behalf, stressed the need to integrate mental health and psychosocial support into healthcare delivery at the community level.
He said frontline health workers and community actors must also be equipped to identify mental health concerns early, provide appropriate support and facilitate referrals.
GNA
Edited by Eric K. Amoh/Lydia Kukua Asamoah
Reporter: Albert Futukpor
Email: [email protected]