The management of Pantang Hospital is calling for continued support for the ‘Operation Set the Captives Free Initiative,’ a program aimed at identifying, treating, and reintegrating mentally ill individuals living on the streets back into society.
Dr. Alex Owusu Ansah, the initiative’s lead, explained that the hospital lacks the financial resources to treat all mentally ill persons found on the streets.
The project, therefore, relies heavily on contributions from corporate bodies and generous individuals to sponsor the treatment of at least one person at a time.
Speaking at the 2024 Durbar in celebration of World Mental Health Day on October 7, he shared that the hospital has successfully treated and reintegrated 75 mentally ill individuals this year alone.
He emphasized that the initiative not only addresses the psychiatric and medical needs of these individuals but also helps reintegrate them into society by offering them sustainable livelihoods and family connections.
“This project has touched the lives of quite a number of people. We’ve been able to pick up about 76 mentally ill people on the streets and been able to address their psychiatric as well as the general health care needs of these people. We have registered them on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). We’ve traced their families and linked them to sustainable sources of livelihoods. We have about 44 of them who have been repatriated and reintegrated into society, and we have about 24 of them who are still on admission at various phases of their treatment,” he added.
Dr. Owusu Ansah expressed deep gratitude to corporate supporters, including LIC, Afriwave, and anonymous donors, for their contributions.
He appealed for further assistance from corporate Ghana, religious groups, and individuals to keep the initiative going.
“We believe that everyone out there deserves access to the healthcare that they need and not just those of us without mental health challenges. We want to call on corporate Ghana, individuals, churches, mosques, and all organisations out there to continue to support us with this particular Set the Captives Free Project. We call for a van to be able to help with the pickup and then the tracing of families as well as motorbikes to help with this process. We also call on corporate Ghana to support us in the renovation of the occupational therapy department and then also support to help with the renovation of the setup of the teleconferencing centre,” which he disclosed helps them in offering training and capacity building.
Additionally, he urged donors to help improve Ward Five, which provides maternal and child healthcare services at the hospital.