PLOS ONE · 9 authors, 6 centres
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This cross-sectional situation analysis assessed mental health service infrastructure and gaps across five districts in Ghana. It found severe deficits in mental healthcare provision, with estimated treatment coverage for common mental disorders below 1%.
The study conducted a cross-sectional situation analysis using a standardized tool adapted from the PRIME project, supplemented by key informant interviews, across five purposively selected districts in Ghana. The analysis focused on secondary healthcare data and system infrastructure. The central findings reveal poor mental health infrastructure, including a lack of mental healthcare plans, weak supervision for the few mental health professionals, major challenges in accessing psychotropic medications, and extremely limited psychological treatments. Estimated treatment coverage for depression, schizophrenia, and epilepsy is less than 1%. Identified opportunities for strengthening include leadership commitment, an existing district health information system, a network of community volunteers, and collaboration with traditional/faith-based providers. Limitations include potential inaccuracies in routine data sources, an inability to include patient perspectives, and the sample being limited to five districts, though a rigorous selection process was used to enhance generalisability. The findings inform the design of future district mental healthcare plans.
