CHPS Compounds must offer mental health care for women and girls

The Women, Media and Change (WOMEC) has urged government and development partners to improve CHPS compounds with mental health assistance, particularly for women and girls.

They also want CHPS compounds to provide free trauma and psychosocial treatment for survivors of gender-based abuse.

According to the Executive Director for WOMEC, Dr. Charity Binka, stressing the critical need to prioritize women’s mental health, particularly during crises and catastrophes, is a sure approach to promote women’s mental health.

In a statement, WOMEC joined the worldwide community to honor World Mental Health Day, held annually on 10th October to promote awareness and advocate for mental well-being as a human right.

WOMEC believes this year’s theme, “Access to Services – Mental Health in Catastrophes and Emergencies,” is especially relevant in Ghana and across Africa, where emergencies, from economic hardship and floods to road accidents, epidemics, conflicts, and gender-based violence, continue to threaten mental well-being.

In Ghana, mental health remains a serious issue, with various problems limiting appropriate treatment and assistance. The WHO claims that around 2.3 million Ghanaians live with mental health issues, and roughly 1 in 5 people will have a mental health condition in their lifetime.

There are just a few psychiatric facilities in Ghana, primarily situated in the southern half of the nation, making access to mental treatment challenging.

WOMEC highlighted that women who are already disproportionately impacted by social and economic inequities endure even greater emotional distress during catastrophes.

Whether they are survivors of domestic abuse during disasters, caregivers during disease outbreaks, frontline health professionals, or moms dealing with loss and relocation, women typically face the most tremendous psychological strain with the least assistance.

‘‘Women are the emotional foundations of households and the backbone of communal life, but they undergo great physical, economic, and psychological stress without proper assistance. Studies suggest that women are at a greater risk of anxiety, sadness, and trauma. Yet, relatively few obtain professional care owing to stigma, prejudice, and limited access to mental health services, particularly in rural places. Many women lack safe venues to seek treatment, community-based mental health services, trauma therapy, financial means to get private care, and protection from stigma and cultural silence,’’ WOMEC noticed.

WOMEC believes that access to mental health treatment, particularly for women and girls, must be considered as a fundamental human right, not a luxury. And every community recovery plan, as well as every emergency response and strategy for peace and security, must incorporate mental health assistance as a vital component.