Government has announced a package of health and psychosocial support measures for Ghanaians evacuated from South Africa following xenophobic tensions, as a second batch of 340 evacuees touched down in Accra on Saturday.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwah, the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, and the Minister for Health, Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, and other government officials were at the airport to receive the returnees and outline the support available to them.
Dr Lartey said President John Dramani Mahama had prioritised the safety of Ghanaians abroad by ensuring their evacuation from South Africa amid the growing tensions, and assured the returnees that government was committed to helping them reintegrate into society and recover from the trauma of their experiences.
“The nation Ghana wants to warmly welcome you all back home. Once there is life, there is hope,” she said.
The Minister said government was placing particular attention on the mental and emotional wellbeing of the evacuees, many of whom had been forced to leave behind businesses, homes, and investments.
She said psychosocial support would be provided alongside other forms of assistance, noting that without the right mindset and emotional wellbeing, any opportunity that came a person’s way would not be fully beneficial.
She also encouraged the returnees to channel the same determination that had helped them build lives abroad into contributing to Ghana’s development at home.
“The energy you put into building South Africa, put double of that energy here in Ghana and be hopeful that Ghana will be better than where you are coming from,” she implored.
On his part, Mr Akandoh announced that health officials had been deployed to assist the arrivals, with counselling services and emergency medical support available where required.
He further disclosed that all Ghanaians returning through the evacuation exercise would be registered onto the National Health Insurance Scheme free of charge.
“Everybody arriving from South Africa through this intervention will be registered for free National Health Insurance,” he said.
The Health Minister urged returnees to provide accurate contact information during registration to allow government agencies to maintain contact and provide follow-up support.
“There is no place like home. This is your home, you have relatives around, you must feel free and take advantage of the various interventions we have as a country,” he said.
Joyce Adwoa Animia Ocran,ISD
