Four mental health diseases, including depression and schizophrenia, are to be enrolled on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), to support with treatment.
The NHIS is currently not designed for psychiatric services, although some psychotropic medications are covered. In addition, people with mental illness may access other NHIS services if they are registered with the scheme.
The CEO of the Mental Health Authority, Prof Adwoa Pinamang Appau, says the inclusion of the aforementioned ailments, is expected to reduce the cost burden on patients and other healthcare providers.
“We are looking at getting 4 of our disorders onto the benefit packages. We believe that getting them onto the package will reduce the cases of shortage of medications and the lack of personnel will reduce. The President already has assured us, and we are hopeful it happens, we are considering depression, bipolar disorders, schizophrenia and anxiety disorders,” she mentioned.
Prof Appau disclosed this at the launch of the Mental Health Awareness Week on October 2nd in Accra. The week is celebrated in October globally. Here in Ghana, the week will be marked with activities to promote awareness and health care. The 2023 edition, is on the theme, “Mental Health is a universal human right.”
Mental Cases on the increase
Schizophrenia, a mental health disorder, is on the rise in Ghana, with 8,446 people presenting with the condition as of the end of March this year [2023].
From 19,856 persons who presented for help with the condition in 2020, the cases increased to 20,755 in 2021 and 24,790 in 2022.
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by persistent psychotic symptoms such as auditory and/or visual hallucinations, delusional thinking, dissociation from reality, and disorganized thoughts and behavior. It usually begins to manifest when the patients are in their early 20s, although, in rare cases, symptoms can show in early childhood.
Bipolar disorder is one of the commonest mood conditions, along with depression and anxiety. Statistics from the World Health Organization suggest that in Ghana, there are about 157,543 people with bipolar: 83,354 are females and 74,189 are males.
Presidents Assurance in June
President Akufo-Addo said in June, 2023 that the NHIS considered mental health as a matter of justice and equality. As such, plans were afoot to include it on the NHIS list in order to cater for some of the expenses of patients.
The President explained that the contribution of mental health to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was estimated at three per cent, implying that out of every GH¢100 produced in the country, GH¢3.00 was attributed to the mental healthcare sector.
“This will suggest that the sector plays a significant role in the overall economic output of the country,” he emphasized.
Furthermore, the President said seven per cent of the country’s GDP was lost annually by ordinary Ghanaians reporting a lack of wellness.
The Mental Health Authority is also planning to remove mentally challenged individuals from the streets across the country for holistic treatment.
The initiative, due to kick off by January 2024, is expected to cater for about twenty thousand people.
According to the Mental Health Authority (MHA), the surge is due to increasing population, coupled with inadequate infrastructure and funding to manage the rising trend.
This will not be the first time such an initiative is being rolled out, and CEO of the mental health authority, Prof Adwoa Pinamang Appau says the new project will achieve the desired results.
”Previously we have had what we have called the operation clear the street. It hadn’t been too successful because funding became an issue and it became a burden of the facilities. We went back to the drawing board and realized we need to include more stakeholders. So, we are introducing a new plan, which will include the districts and the community. That way, they will support and it won’t be only for the authority. We believe that will be more sustainable, to remove mentally challenged from the streets “, she added.