Hot!
No mental health facility in the Upper West Region
- /home/u249204778/domains/spectator.com.gh/public_html/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 27
https://spectator.com.gh/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Mr-Illyasu-Baba.jpeg&description=No mental health facility in the Upper West Region', 'pinterestShare', 'width=750,height=350'); return false;" title="Pin This Post">
- Share
- Tweet /home/u249204778/domains/spectator.com.gh/public_html/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 72
https://spectator.com.gh/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Mr-Illyasu-Baba.jpeg&description=No mental health facility in the Upper West Region', 'pinterestShare', 'width=750,height=350'); return false;" title="Pin This Post">
● Mr Illyasu Baba
Absence of mental health facility in the Upper West Region has been identified as one of the major challenges preventing persons with mental health conditions from accessing treatment in the region.
Mental health patients are said to be loitering the streets of major towns in the region after they have been sent away from home for causing one ruckus or the other as a result of not getting the needed care and attention and no alternative places to reside.
This was made known by a Mental Health Advocate and Worker, Mr Illyasu Baba Yussif at Wa in an interview with The Spectator newspaper on the state of mental health in the region.
Mr Illyasu is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Bahass Foundation, a non-governmental organisation dedicated to the needs of mental health persons in the Upper West.
His foundation mobilises persons with mental health issues on the streets, give them warm bath, clean shave, after which they are offered new clothes every month to wear.
He lamented that due to absence of a permanent mental health hospital, families of persons with the condition were torn between keeping them at home to create problems or sending them onto the streets.
“If there is a dedicated facility in the region which admits the patients and get them treated, I think some of them would have got better because sometimes it is just about having access to regular medication but this opportunity is absent in the region”, he said.
He stated that due to poverty, some people could not afford to take their relations with mental health conditions to other parts of the country where facilities were available to get catered for.
He was hoping to put up a permanent home for mental health patients but said he would need support from benevolent bodies to do so in order to be able to accommodate the patients and feed them constantly.
“Some people are left to roam the streets because they eventually become nuisance at home and to others, especially in instances where the family resides in rented apartments so they are forced to put them out on the street for the peace of everyone else”, Mr Yussif said.
He said the streets presented harsh conditions to these patients leading to deterioration of their health.
“But they know what I do and they are mostly around my office for food and other assistance, I think most of them have mild cases and would get better with just a little bit of care”, he said.
He used the opportunity to ask for support from benvolent individuals and organisations for his intended purpose and advised the youth to stay away from illicit drugs which could lead to mental problems.
When contacted, the Regional Mental Health Coordinator, Mr Sylvester Basagnia confirmed that the region did not have a mental health hospital but had a unit that was in charge of mental health and epileptic cases at the Municipal Hospital.
He said they could only detain the patients but not admit them for long so acquiring a permanent facility for such persons would be an added advantage for persons with mental health conditions and their families.
From Lydia Darlington Fordjour, Wa
General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Justin Kodua Frimpong, has filed his nomination to contest the position of General Secretary again as the party begins its rebuilding efforts ahead of the 2028 general elections.
He was accompanied by party stalwarts and supporters who were in high spirits, expressing confidence that he is the right person to hold the position.
Speaking after filing his nomination, Mr Kodua Frimpong assured the rank and file of the party that he would not disappoint them.
“I can assure you that the faith the rank and file of the party have had in me, I will never disappoint them,” he said.
He also pledged to run a clean campaign devoid of personal attacks.
“I can assure you that our internal campaign will be devoid of personal attacks,” he told his fellow contestants and the rank and file of the party as he seeks to retain his position.
His tenure has seen the party through the 2024 general elections, where the NPP lost power to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) after eight years in government.
The party is currently in a rebuilding phase, with internal elections scheduled to elect new national executives to lead its reorganization towards the 2028 polls.
The General Secretary position is considered one of the most influential in the party’s administrative structure, responsible for the day-to-day running of the party secretariat and implementation of party decisions.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
The University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) has disputed claims made on social media by comedian Michael Blackson concerning the treatment given to his late mother, saying a review found that the allegations did not accurately reflect what happened during her stay at the hospital.
In a statement issued in Accra on August 5, 2026, the management of UGMC expressed condolences to Mr. Blackson and his family over the death of his 83-year-old mother, who died at the facility on July 16, 2026.
The hospital said it had taken the concerns raised by Mr. Blackson seriously and conducted a thorough review in line with its clinical and administrative procedures.
According to the statement, the facts presented by Mr. Blackson on social media contained “numerous inaccuracies” and did not accurately reflect the medical care provided to his mother.
UGMC explained that she was referred to the facility from another hospital and received treatment there from May 27 to July 16, 2026, a period of about eight weeks.
The hospital stated that it would not release details of her diagnosis, treatment, medical records or other aspects of her care because it had a duty to protect patient confidentiality, even after death.
It said the decision was intended to respect the dignity of the deceased and the privacy of her family.
UGMC further stated that all clinical decisions at the facility are made by qualified healthcare professionals based on medical judgment, established standards of care and the best interests of the patient.
The statement added that such decisions are made in consultation with authorised family representatives where necessary and that billing and financial procedures are governed by institutional policies and are separate from clinical decision-making.
The hospital noted that it values feedback from patients and their families and considers both positive and negative comments important for improving the quality of care.
Mr. Blackson had earlier used social media to criticise the care his mother received at UGMC, prompting the hospital’s response.
By: Jacob Aggrey
