Accra: Basic Needs-Ghana and the Mental Health Alliance have called on the government to prioritize Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services (MHPSS) in disaster preparedness and emergency response efforts to ensure the holistic wellbeing of individuals affected by humanitarian crises. The organizations stressed the urgent need for the government to ensure access to mental health services during catastrophes and emergencies, which formed part of Ghana’s Universal Health Coverage (UHC) strategy.
According to Ghana News Agency, the call was contained in a statement issued by the Alliance for Mental Health and Development (Mental Health Alliance) to mark this year’s World Mental Health Day. The 2025 global theme, ‘Access to Services: Mental Health in Catastrophes and Emergencies,’ focuses on the urgent need to make mental health support an essential component of response mechanisms during disasters and emergencies.
The statement noted that Ghana continued to experience both natural and human-caused disasters such as perennial floods, droughts, fires, explosions, road crashes, and conflicts, which had claimed lives and left many with deep psychological and emotional scars. However, in most of these situations, response interventions had often neglected the mental health and psychosocial needs of affected persons, families, and communities.
It said while much attention was often given to providing physical needs such as food, water, and shelter, the emotional and psychological toll of such crises was mostly overlooked. ‘Fear, anxiety, trauma, and depression are common but rarely addressed,’ the statement noted, adding that for poor and vulnerable groups, including women, children, persons with disabilities, and those already living with mental health conditions, disasters tend to worsen existing inequalities and suffering.
The statement stressed that without MHPSS, recovery remains incomplete. Families struggle to rebuild livelihoods effectively, children’s education is disrupted, and communities remain fragile. Addressing the MHPSS is therefore not optional, but essential for individual healing, family stability, community resilience, recovery, as well as national development.
The statement therefore urged the government to integrate MHPSS into the operations of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and the Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs), and to ensure that first responders in emergencies included MHPSS experts. It also called for increased investment in mental health within Ghana’s health budget, training of frontline health workers in psychosocial first aid, and strengthening of community-based support systems to extend care to hard-to-reach areas.
The statement further appealed for sustained efforts to combat stigma through nationwide community-based awareness campaigns, particularly in disaster-affected areas, stressing that mental health was an essential part of overall health, especially during crises. Although the passage of the Mental Health Act, 2012 (Act 846), and the integration of mental health into primary healthcare were commendable steps, the statement noted that resources remained inadequate, services were concentrated in urban centres, and stigma continued to prevent many from seeking help, especially in times of crisis.
‘As we observe World Mental Health Day 2025, we must reaffirm our commitment to making the provision of mental health and psychosocial support an integral part of our national health system and disaster response framework to ensure no one is left behind in times of emergencies,’ the statement said.
The Alliance for Mental Health and Development is a national network of over 300 civil society organizations, non-governmental organizations, and community-based groups engaged in mental health advocacy across Ghana. It operates regional chapters in the Upper East, Upper West, Northern, Brong Ahafo, Greater Accra, Ashanti, Volta, Central, and Eastern Regions.