Accra: Dr Charity Binka, the Executive Director of Women, Media and Change (WOMEC) has made a call for urgent action to improve access to mental health services for women and girls, especially in times of crisis.

According to Ghana News Agency, in times of crisis, mental health needs escalate, but unfortunately, it is in such situations that access to services becomes even more limited, and women who are already disproportionately affected by social and economic inequalities face deeper emotional trauma during emergencies.

Dr Binka stated that women are the emotional pillars of home and the backbone of community life, yet they face enormous physical, economic, and psychological stress without adequate support. Studies indicate that women are at higher risk of anxiety, depression, and trauma, but very few receive professional help due to stigma, discrimination, and limited access to mental health services, especially in rural communities. Many women lack safe spaces to seek help, community-based mental health services, trauma counselling, and financial ability to access private care, as well as protection from stigma and cultural silence.

She urged governments and development partners to take practical steps to address the specific mental health needs of women and girls. Dr Binka emphasized the need to strengthen Community Health Planning and Services (CHPS) Compounds with mental support tailored for women and girls, provide free trauma and psychological counselling for survivors of gender-based violence, expand the NHIS scheme to fully cover mental health services and medications, and integrate mental health screening into both antenatal and postnatal care to support maternal well-being.

Dr Binka highlighted that mental wellness is a human right, not a luxury, and every emergency response recovery effort and peacebuilding policy must include mental health as a core element. She stated that WOMEC believes that through collaboration and commitment, Ghana can build a future where all women and girls have equitable access to mental health care, especially in the face of trauma.

This appeal was made during the commemoration of the World Mental Health Day celebration under the theme ‘Access to Services, Mental Health in Catastrophes and Emergency’.