Ghana, WHO to implement the Director General’s Special Initiative for Mental Health

GHANA – The Republic of Ghana, with support from the World Health Organization (WHO), has started implementing the Director General’s Special Initiative for Mental Health (DG-SIMH) with an aim to address the gaps in mental health services.

The five-year initiative aims to ensure that all people in the target population in the selected countries achieve the highest standard of mental health and well-being at a time when mental, neurological and substance use disorders account for more than 10% of the global disease burden.

“Ahead of the implementation in Ghana, WHO has helped Ghana to develop a national implementation plan and is currently assisting the country’s six new regions in the development of their regional plans towards effective implementation,” the agency announced.

The WHO Ghana Country Office disclosed that the initiative is expected to start implementation in the third quarter of 2022 with the aim to improve access to integrated quality person-centered mental health care for an additional 5.2 million Ghanaians.

“The WHO Special Initiative for Mental Health will advance mental health policies, advocacy and human rights, and scale up quality interventions and services for individuals with mental health conditions, including substance use and neurological disorders,” the agency said.

For health authorities in Ghana, the mental health initiative is a great opportunity to strengthen the mental health system whilst mobilizing communities to create an environment devoid of stigma and abuse against persons with mental health conditions.

“We need to create an environment that is conducive enough for people with mental disorders to come out and seek help at any level of the health system,” the Western North Regional Director of Health, Dr. Marion Okoh-Owusu highlighted.

In addition, the WHO Special Initiative on Mental Health will build on the successes of existing mental health interventions such as the QualityRights Initiative, which is helping to improve the quality of care and promote the human rights of people living with mental health conditions.

The global public health agency further said that the five-year initiative supported by the Government of Norway seeks to get 100 million more people to access quality and affordable mental health in 12 countries around the world.

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