The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has reaffirmed Parliament’s commitment to advocate for stronger budgetary support for mental healthcare in Ghana.
Speaking on his behalf at the launch of the 50th Anniversary celebration of the Pantang Mental Hospital in Accra, the Speaker expressed concern over years of neglect in the sector and stressed that Parliament would use its oversight role to demand improved financial backing.
“Parliament will use its oversight mandate to demand better financial support for mental health in the country,” he assured.
Mr. Bagbin described Pantang Hospital as a national asset envisioned by Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, to serve as a Pan-African neuropsychiatric facility and research hub.
He noted that despite setbacks following the 1966 coup, the hospital has become a vital psychiatric and medical centre.
Highlighting its impact, he disclosed that in the past three years alone, the hospital had attended to 62,847 psychiatric cases, provided outpatient services to 117,756 patients, and delivered inpatient care to 2,476 psychiatric patients and 3,370 general medical patients.
He also commended its “Set the Captives Free” project, which rescued and rehabilitated over 61 mentally ill persons from the streets.
“These achievements are a testament to the dedication and commitment of the hospital’s staff and professionals. On this Golden Jubilee, I join the nation in saluting your service,” he said.
The Speaker, however, acknowledged persistent challenges facing mental healthcare, including inadequate funding, infrastructure deficits, shortage of staff, land encroachment, and stigma.
He reminded stakeholders of the passage of the Mental Health Act, 2012 (Act 846), which established a Mental Health Fund. Unfortunately, he lamented that more than a decade on, the Fund had not been adequately resourced.
“One of the best ways to accelerate the development of Pantang Hospital is to strengthen the Mental Health Fund to ensure regular and adequate financing,” he emphasized.
While commending the government for including some mental health conditions in the NHIS package, Mr. Bagbin called for pragmatic steps to ensure sustainable financing and urged stronger collaboration beyond government efforts.
“Improving mental health is not the responsibility of government alone. Civil society, faith-based organizations, families, individuals, and communities must all play their part. Let us remember the simple truth: health is wealth, and there is no health without mental health,” he added.
He pledged Parliament’s resolve to strengthen oversight for the effective implementation of the Mental Health Act, advocate for increased budgetary allocation, reduce stigma, and support investment in infrastructure, research, and capacity building.
“Pantang Hospital has served with resilience and dedication for half a century. As we celebrate this Golden Jubilee, let us renew our collective commitment to supporting mental health care, so the next 50 years will be marked by even greater progress,” the Speaker concluded.
Pantang Hospital at 50
The Acting Medical Director of Pantang Hospital, Dr. Maalug Yennusom, welcomed dignitaries to the Golden Jubilee celebration. He noted that Pantang, one of Ghana’s three psychiatric hospitals, continues to serve as a tertiary referral centre for patients across Ghana and neighbouring countries, including Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Togo, and Benin.
“In the past three years alone, the hospital has provided psychiatric services to 62,247 patients and general outpatient services to 117,756 people due to our unique dual service in psychiatry and physical health care,” Dr. Yennusom disclosed.
He, however, lamented challenges such as dilapidated infrastructure, land encroachment, staffing shortages, and weak security. He appealed to government to complete the hospital’s perimeter wall, which began in 2020 but remains only 30 percent done.
Dr. Yennusom also announced a year-long lineup of activities, including health walks, clean-up exercises, public lectures, exhibitions, and a fundraising dinner in August 2026 to support a facelift project for the facility.
The Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Mental Health Authority, Dr. Eugene Kobla Dordoye, also announced plans to introduce tele-psychiatry under the government’s “Resetting Ghana Agenda” for health.
He explained that tele-psychiatry would expand access to mental health services nationwide.
“Among all tele-health services, tele-psychiatry works best. A senior specialist can see the patient via video with a younger doctor and provide guidance. Because psychiatry does not usually rely on touch, it fits perfectly. No Ghanaian should be too far from care,” he said.
Dr. Dordoye underscored the urgent need to operationalize the Mental Health Fund, describing funding as the “vitamin M — money” required to sustain services. He paid tribute to his predecessors, Professors Akwesi Osei and Pinaman Appau, for laying the foundation for community-based psychiatric care, stressing that his work would be a continuation of building universal, quality mental health services.
Madina MP Donates GH¢100,000
Member of Parliament for Madina Constituency, Francis-Xavier Sosu, pledged a seed fund of GH¢100,000 to support the renovation and expansion of Pantang Hospital.
“As a small but important step towards improving safety and security across the facility, my office has already donated 50 street lights this week. Today, I am committing GH¢100,000 as seed money to the hospital’s fundraising efforts,” the MP said.
Mr. Sosu recounted several interventions he has made in the health sector within his constituency over the past four years, including donations to the Kekele Polyclinic, Madina Polyclinic, Oyarifa Health Centre, and the Madina Health Directorate.
He also emphasized the importance of prioritizing mental health nationwide.
“We all look healthy, but a lot of us are not really okay. A lot of mad people are in town. We pray that we’ll pay attention to our mental health,” he stressed.
He expressed optimism that the vision of former President John Dramani Mahama to transform Pantang Hospital into a modern psychiatric facility would be realized within the next four years.
The MP earlier donated 50 pieces of streets lights to the Hospital to increase visibility and ward off unsuspecting criminals in the night
Solidarity Calls
Other stakeholders who delivered solidarity messages urged government and the public to consider mental health a key component of healthcare and to support existing facilities to provide quality services.
History of Pantang Hospital
Established in 1975 as a 500-bed facility, Pantang Hospital was originally conceived as a Pan-African Mental Health Village. Despite decades of underfunding and infrastructure challenges, it has remained a cornerstone of psychiatric care in Ghana, providing inpatient and outpatient treatment, rehabilitation, and professional training.
Source: Felix Nyaaba/expressnewsghana.com