Former Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Sarah Adwoa Safo, has called on the government to urgently prioritise the basic needs of public hospitals and adequately resource them to function effectively.
She also urged President John Dramani Mahama to fully implement the provisions of the Mental Health Act, 2012 (Act 846), which was passed by Parliament on March 2, 2012, to ensure accessible and affordable mental healthcare for all Ghanaians.
According to the former Dome/Kwabenya Member of Parliament, who was part of the caucus that championed the legislation, the primary objective of the law was to make mental healthcare free and accessible, particularly for vulnerable patients.
However, she lamented that the law has “outlived its usefulness” due to the government’s failure to adequately fund its implementation.
“A country that is mentally healthy is also healthy in every aspect of national life,” she stressed.
Hon. Adwoa Safo made these remarks during a donation exercise by her philanthropic arm, the Adwoa Safo Foundation, to the Pantang Hospital.
Established in 2014, the Adwoa Safo Foundation has consistently engaged in philanthropic activities and has earned public recognition for its sustained support to vulnerable and disadvantaged groups across the country.
At the event, the Foundation presented assorted items, including eight bags of rice, 29 bags of sachet water, packs of plantain chips, two packs each of Milo and milk, 15 packs of toilet rolls, four packs of drinks, three bottles of Dettol, 10 bottles of cleaning detergent, 10 packs of mosquito nets, and a 43-inch television set.
She further pledged to renovate one of the hospital’s dilapidated wards to improve conditions for patients and staff.
Receiving the items, the Medical Director of Pantang Hospital, Dr. Maalug Yennusum, expressed profound gratitude to Hon. Adwoa Safo for the timely intervention.
He briefed her on ongoing development initiatives at the facility, including farming projects aimed at supporting patient feeding and generating income to meet administrative and operational costs.
Dr. Yennusum also highlighted efforts to beautify the hospital environment to enhance its image and create a more therapeutic space for patients.
He appealed to other well-meaning individuals and organisations to emulate Hon. Adwoa Safo’s gesture and support the hospital, noting that many patients are unable to afford the cost of care.
“Most of our inmates do not even have money to pay for their treatment, so we rely heavily on support,” he said.
