Professor Sammy Ohene, Chairman of the Faculty of Psychiatry at the Ghana and West Africa Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons, has proposed the implementation of a dedicated tax on products like alcohol and tobacco.
He suggests that the revenue generated from this tax should be directed towards the Mental Health Fund.
This proposal was made during the Prof. EFB Forster Public Lecture Series on Mental Health, which focused on measuring the impact of the Mental Health Act over the last ten years – since its inception in 2012.
Prof. Ohene emphasized that funding remains a significant challenge in improving mental health services in Ghana. He believes that the Mental Health Fund can play a crucial role in addressing this issue.
The funds collected through the proposed tax could be used to develop infrastructure, social housing, community clinics, rehabilitation centers, daycare facilities, and schools for children with mental disabilities.
The call for a dedicated tax for the Mental Health Fund stems from the government’s historical inability to allocate sufficient budgetary resources to the fund since its establishment in 2012.
Prof. Ohene pointed out that government funding for mental health has been notably insufficient, accounting for less than 5% of the 3.6% of GDP allocated to the health ministry in 2012 for instance.
Instead, organizations such as Basic Needs, DFID, UKAID and DANIDA have been major sources of funding for mental health treatment and management in the country.
Ghana currently faces limitations in its capacity to effectively manage mental health cases, with a shortage of mental health professionals and facilities. There are only 64 psychiatrists, 8,236 mental health nurses, five addiction nurses, five regional hospitals with psychiatric wings, and three teaching hospitals with psychiatric wings across the nation.
While there are indications that the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) may begin to provide support for medicines and admissions for individuals with mental health disabilities, Prof. Ohene noted that this would only partially improve mental health funding.
Adding that, mental health institutions would still heavily rely on funds from NGOs like UKAID, Basic Needs, DANIDA, and others to meet their financial needs.
Professor Sammy Ohene’s proposal highlights the urgent need for increased funding for mental health services in Ghana and suggests a dedicated tax on products like alcohol and tobacco as a potential solution to address this funding gap.
