‘Include street mental health patients in COVID-19 Awareness’–NGO
The government needs to ensure that people with mental health problems and those living on the streets have equal access to COVID-19 ongoing awareness campaigns.
The Executive Officer of Mensah Mental Health Rehabilitation Project (MEMHREP), Mr Adu Gyamfi, who made the call said the move would protect the rough sleepers from contracting the deadly disease and stop its further spread.
Ghana, as of March 29, had recorded 152 cases of coronavirus with over 1,000 contracts being tracked.
The government, together with the Ministry of Health (MoH), has issued some preventive measures and guidelines on how to stay safe and observe social distancing to prevent the spread of the disease.
However, Mr Adu Gyamfi believed that persons with mental health problems in the streets, and other vagrants, who were vulnerable groups, had been left out of the national crisis conversation.
According to him, “these people have no means of knowing what is going on” and “no attempt is being made to include them in what is happening “.
He stressed that, like everyone else, “these people must also be taught to keep proper hygiene and practice social distancing”.
Failure to do so, he warned, could result in them being infected with the coronavirus disease and spreading it to the larger population.
“They can have symptoms and be touching surfaces, be coughing or sneezing without covering their mouths as they walk about without hindrance.”
“These are the things we don’t want people to do,” the MEMHREP CEO stressed, insisting that “this is a public health concern” which must not be ignored
He urged the government to consider the UK example, where about 300 hotel rooms have been made available to house the homeless and thus protect them from contracting the dreaded Covid-19.
He suggested that even if the state could not make hotel rooms available, it could provide temporary shelters.
Mr Adu Gyamfi, however, praised the government and the health ministry “for their hard work” and cautioned the public on spreading fear and panic during these critical times.
“Coronavirus is something that needs to be taken seriously, but we need to make sure we respond to it rationally, that we aren’t contributing to the problems by contributing to people’s panic and anxiety,” he added.
About MEMHREP
This foundation has for the past nine years been feeding, providing mental health education and caring for the personal hygiene needs of persons with mental health problems and other rough sleepers.
If you require any emotional support during this time, contact MEMHREP and its partner health agencies on +233(0)248762692 or visit www.memhrep.org