The Mental Health Authority has revealed that the government is in the process of establishing two new psychiatric hospitals in northern Ghana, as part of a broader initiative to improve access to mental health care across the country.
The announcement was made during the 2025 edition of the Dcoded Show, an event organised by the University of Ghana’s Career and Counseling Centre in partnership with Johnson & Johnson. This year’s event focused on schizophrenia and was held under the theme “Fixing the Pieces When the Mind Splits,” aiming to raise awareness and promote mental health advocacy.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Josephine Stiles Darko, Deputy Head of Communications at the Mental Health Authority, emphasised the urgent need to decentralise mental health services and address regional disparities in access to care.
“There are two more psychiatric hospitals in the pipeline, with a focus on the northern regions,” she announced. “While we work to increase the number of mental health specialists, we are also integrating mental health care into district hospitals, so that all doctors receive some level of psychiatric training.”
Dr. Darko noted that the Mental Health Authority is complementing infrastructure expansion with workforce development and community-based interventions. She added that training of health workers and ongoing mental health outreach programmes are being rolled out nationwide to ensure early detection and treatment of conditions such as schizophrenia.
The announcement comes amid growing calls for increased investment in mental health infrastructure, particularly in underserved regions where access remains limited. Mental health advocates have long argued that the lack of facilities and trained professionals, especially outside major cities, hampers effective diagnosis and treatment.
The planned psychiatric hospitals are expected to ease pressure on the country’s existing three major psychiatric institutions—Accra Psychiatric Hospital, Ankaful Psychiatric Hospital, and Pantang Hospital—while helping to close the treatment gap for mental health patients in northern Ghana.
Stakeholders at the Dcoded Show welcomed the news and urged sustained government commitment to mental health policy implementation, public education, and stigma reduction.
