A non-governmental organisation, MEMHREP, has appealed to government to help build more rehabilitation for mental health patients.
Chief Executive Officer of the organisation, Mr Adu Gyamfi, in an interview on Adom News bemoaned how such people are left to their faith, especially in Ghana.
He noted that MEMHREP is to create the sensitisation about mental illness and to draw the attention of the government to people who are mentally challenged and living on the streets.
The major reason for the birth of the organisation is to create the awareness for the government to pay attention to individuals with mental health conditions, especially those living on the streets.
He called on the government to establish more rehabilitation centres to house these people. With some, he explained, the illness started progressively and got out of hand without medical attention.
He advised that if the illness is diagnosed early and treated, hardly would people see any mentally ill patient in the streets.
He said education about the prevention of mental illness could be taught in schools, churches and even at places of work with the help of the government.
He added that the ‘Planting for Food and Jobs’ would also help to set some of them up with jobs after recovery so that they can also help their families.
He asked the government to aid the organisation and other not-for-profit organisations. He bemoaned the fact that mentally ill people moving about on the streets does not speak well of the country, especially in situations where investors outside the country come, only to be met with such an embarrassing site.
He lamented further, that these people pose as a threat to the public as well as local and foreign investments.
He gave an instance where one of these ‘Nyame Adehye’ destroyed the goods of a trader at Adum in the Ashanti Region. He’s, therefore, pleading with the government to aid the organisation in taking care of the mentally ill patients because he has learnt from his experience that we are blessed with new and innovative ideas whenever we lend a hand to someone or people in need.
About MEMHREP
MEMHREP is leaving no stone unturned in the fight against mental illness. The organisation is already providing care and support to persons living with mental illness in the Ashanti Region and even beyond. For the past eight years, the organisation has been feeding, bathing and clothing the mentally ill persons on the streets of Kumasi metropolis and the four other regions at its own expense.
Led by Mr Adu Gyamfi, MEMHREP rescued a four-month abandoned baby of a woman suffering from mental illness sleeping on the street in September, 2014. It also emerged the best institution in maize production in the Atwima Kwanwoma District in that same year during the National Farmer’s Day Celebration.
Currently, MEMHREP is in the process of building an ultra-modern state of the art Rehabilitation Centre to support Community Mental Health Outreach Programme in the Effiduasi-Asokore District in the Ashanti Region.
The centre will serve as a safe haven for persons living with mental illness across the streets of the Region and even those afar. Employable skills will be offer to them during their recovery process to avoid any relapse. Finally reintegration of these patients back to the society through their families sets in after their recovery is fully complete. The organisation therefore is ever ready and fully prepared to help persons living with mental illness. With the support from all concerned citizens, there could be a swift reaction to our course. Note that, mental illness is no respecter of persons. It’s now or never. Our support will give them hope. Every little helps!