The Health Support Foundation (HSF), a charity organization, yesterday donated toiletries and other items worth GH₵10,000 to management of the Accra Psychiatric hospital.
The items included washing powders, soaps, diapers, detergents, toilet rolls, liquid soaps, buckets and some food items.
The group, in addition, donated a cheque of GH₵2000. The items and the money are meant to cater for the needs of the children at the hospitals kids ward.
Addressing management and staff of the hospital at a short ceremony held at the ward, Executive Director and Founder of HSF, Mr James Mawuli Gawu said that his organisation settled on the mental hospital, because mental health is as important as physical health and are as common as malaria and so the country must attach seriousness to it.
Speaking specifically on why the kids was preferred over the others, Mr Gawu said that mental health is a big problem that many families are struggling to deal with and he cannot imagine the trauma and frustration families with kids who have mental health are going through.
“Mental health is already a big problem and it is a challenge for many families and for it to happen to people at a very young age, I think it calls for attention, especially when young people are concerned.”
He said the infrastructure at the hospital alone shows how unserious the country approaches mental health issues and called on the government to attach the same importance that it attaches to other disease such as malaria, tuberculosis to mental health.
“…The approach and seriousness that the country gives to tuberculosis, malaria, cholera and other things, it is the same attention we should give as a people to mental health.
Mr Gawu also stated that HSF aims to bring relief to the marginalized and vulnerable in society hence the donation.
“It is our aim as an organization to reach out to the vulnerable, the marginalized in society. This is what we do and this is what has taken as to many deprived communities and now to this hospital.”
Nana Ama Boakye Yiadom, the nurse who received the items on behalf of the management of the hospital, expressed her appreciation to the HSF team for their benevolence act.
She said the ward is in dire need of the very items the Foundation donated especially the diapers and detergents and was very pleased to have received the items on behalf of management.
“We are so appreciative of this donation. They came with so many items which we are in desperate need of because the ward has been lacking a lot especially in areas of sanitation. ..To be honest we are very grateful for the donation and we say God bless them so much for what they have done.”
About HSF
The Health Support Foundation is a charity based Non-Governmental Organization that focuses on extending relevant health, social and humanitarian services to people who otherwise have little or no access to these services.
The Organization focuses on marginalized, disadvantaged, or extreme rural dwellers, as well as children with special needs, disability and other distressing social circumstances for which some extra help comes in handy to improve their circumstances.
The organisation aims to contribute to reduce the divide between rural and urban areas by the provision of comprehensive free social, health, humanitarian and educational services to the neglected, core poor, hard to reach and disadvantaged rural dwellers.
