The Melody
President Nana Akufo-Addo yesterday commissioned an ultra-modern Psychiatric Department at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH).
The facility, christened ‘The Melody’, is a result of a collaboration between KBTH and the University of Ghana Medical School (UGMS).
The state-of-the-art facility will not only serve the University of Ghana Medical School but the larger interest of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital on whose land the building is situated.
It houses a conference room, student lecture hall, faculty research offices, a serene waiting area conducive for teaching and learning, trendy consulting rooms, therapy rooms, a treatment room, a pharmacy and an observation room.
Speaking at the commissioning, President Akufo-Addo said his administration is committed to making the psychiatric aspect of health service a priority.
So far, he said his administration is on course with the provision of the needed infrastructure to support mental healthcare services in the country.
“Our journey to provide comprehensive and accessible healthcare for all is ongoing. Together, we can build a nation where mental healthcare is a priority and every Ghanaian receive the care and support, they deserve,” he stated.
It is for this reason he noted with pride that “the NPP government has added some two psychiatric hospitals to the Agenda 111 hospital projects. This two are to be built in the Ashanti and Northern regions.”
Apart from that, he indicated that “in 2019, we launched the legislative instrument (LI) for mental health which establishes the roles and responsibilities of various stakeholders including the government, private sector, and civil society.”
The Mental Health Authority, President Akufo-Addo said, is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the LI in order to ensure its effectiveness.
All these steps, the President noted, are part of efforts aimed at improving mental healthcare delivery in the country. He further indicated that the recent decision to decriminalise suicide in the country will also go a long way to help in the process of mental health delivery.
“I am delighted to announce that on March 31, 2023, we took a significant step forward for mental health service delivery by decriminalising suicide in Ghana. This progressive move will help remove stigma, improve access to care and improve outcomes for individuals struggling with suicidal thoughts and behaviours in the country,” he pointed out.
On her part, the immediate past Head of the Psychiatry Department of the University of Ghana Medical School, Professor Angela Ofori-Atta, who is credited with mobilising funds for the construction of the ultramodern office complex, could not hide her excitement of a dream nurtured some 20 years ago finally coming to reality.
“For this building, we raised funding from friends and family. From the Ken and Angie Ofori-Atta Foundation, from Kwesi Atuah of Life Forms Limited, from the Osei-Bonsu family, and from Keli Gadzekpo and family ventures,” Prof. Angela Ofori-Atta said.
She, therefore, thanked all who played a role in realisation of this dream.
The facility name, ‘The Melody’, is in honour of the late Melody Millicent Danquah, mother of Professor Angela Ofori-Atta.
Melody Danquah was the first female pilot in Ghana as well as in the south of Saharan Africa.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent