INTRODUCTION OF THE SET THE CAPTIVE FREE PROJECT
To address the public health problem of mentally ill individuals roaming the streets of Ghana, Pantang Hospital started the “Set the Captive Free” project.
This project identifies and takes in homeless mentally ill people from the streets and provides them with all the needed physical and mental health care. The project also traces the families of clients and reunites them. Very importantly, the project links clients to social protection schemes as well as community mental health officers in their various localities. Routine follow-up calls are made post-repatriation to monitor how well beneficiaries are doing.
The Mental Health Authority of Ghana (MHA) estimated the number of mentally ill people on the streets in 2022 as 2,000 in Accra and Tema and 10,000 country-wide.
Mentally unwell people living on the streets are vulnerable and left at the mercy of the weather, road traffic accidents, and sexual and other forms of physical abuse.
This vulnerable population is also a public health threat. They can be carriers of infectious diseases such as cholera and COVID-19 as they are mostly not covered during public health interventions to control such infectious diseases. Mentally ill persons on the streets litter the streets by carrying loads of rubbish such as cans plastics and paper waste. They sometimes cause road traffic accidents and physically assault others, leading to death (Graphic Online, 2021).
The objectives of the STCF Project include:
• To reduce the number of mentally ill people on the streets of Greater Accra and other regions of Ghana
• To provide a transient home for homeless mentally ill people
• To provide high-quality and culturally appropriate physical and mental health services for beneficiaries with no associated financial burden on them or their relatives.
• To enroll beneficiaries on the NHIS
• To link beneficiaries to skills acquisition avenues and other sustainable sources of livelihood
• To reunite beneficiaries with their families and loved ones
• To educate the traced family members of beneficiaries on mental health
• To prevent relapse of beneficiaries
As at the end of 2024, 81 homeless mentally ill persons had benefited from this project with 49 of them treated and reunited with their families.
The project is helping create the awareness that people with mental illness can be successfully treated and reintegrated into society to live productive lives. It is also helping to change people’s attitudes and opinions about mental illness. The project is also contributing to increasing inclusion.
Beneficiaries get to enjoy their right to health care and have their dignity restored. The project impacts the economy positively by providing employable skills to beneficiaries.
With an increasing number of beneficiaries, the number of roaming mentally ill persons who openly defecate and litter the environment is reduced, contributing to a clean and healthy environment.
The project seeks support and partnership in the areas of :
• providing skill training for beneficiaries
• Providing material or financial support for pick up and care at the hospital
• Project vehicles to aid beneficiary pick up, home tracing, delivery of medications to beneficiaries in the community…
• Human financial resources to assist in starting a project poultry farm that will be run by beneficiaries while on admission.
The “Set the Captives Free” project can become the model approach for addressing the public health problem of homeless mentally ill persons roaming the streets with the appropriate partnerships and support. This project beyond managing, rehabilitating and re-integrating such individuals back into their families and communities, links them with sustainable sources of livelihood to help promote productivity and reduce the financial responsibility on their families.
We would be honored to discuss this partnership opportunity further and explore how we can collaborate for the greater good of our target population. Please contact us on 0800 300 200 or info@pantanghospital.gov.gh to arrange a meeting at your earliest convenience.
Thank you.
