There is not a single psychiatric hospital serving all five northern regions of Ghana, President John Dramani Mahama has acknowledged, as he directed the Minister of Health to urgently review the status of a psychiatric hospital project in Mion and prioritise it for completion.
Mahama made the disclosure on Friday at Jubilee House during a courtesy call by the Northern Regional House of Chiefs, responding to concerns raised by the delegation about the growing mental health and substance abuse crisis among young people in the region.
The President said the completion of the Mion psychiatric hospital was a government priority, not just for the Northern Region but for all five northern regions that currently had no such facility. He directed the Health Minister to assess the project’s current state, including its funding gaps, staffing requirements, and operational needs, with a view to fast-tracking its completion.
The President acknowledged that infrastructure alone would not be enough to address the mental health challenge, saying community sensitisation, early intervention, stigma reduction, and rehabilitation support were equally important.
He welcomed the Northern Regional House of Chiefs’ commitment to partner with government in tackling the issue.
The President also made a direct appeal to traditional leaders to take an active role in the fight against drug abuse, which he said was destroying lives, destabilising families, and undermining community security across the region.
He urged chiefs to form local task forces with youth groups and the Ghana Police Service to identify and root out drug suppliers in their communities, drawing a clear distinction between users and suppliers.
“The users are the victims and so there is no need attacking somebody who uses it. He is a victim of those who profit from the drug trade. We must identify these people and root them out,” he said.
The President said his government had already held meetings with the Narcotics Control Commission, Customs, and the Ghana Police Service to tighten action against the importation and distribution of illicit drugs, and called on chiefs to be the frontline of community-level enforcement against the supply chain.
Richard Aniagyei, ISD
