The Accra Psychiatric Hospital has announced the establishment of satellite clinics in the Korle Klottey Municipality aimed at supporting individuals battling addiction.

The initiative is part of efforts to address the rising cases of substance abuse in the country.

Management of the Accra Psychiatric Hospital noted that substance abuse is increasingly affecting the productivity of the country’s youth and contributing to various social and health challenges.

They expressed deep concern over the growing number of people becoming addicted to illicit drugs, warning that the trend poses a significant threat to national development.

Speaking to Citi News on the first day of a week-long substance use screening exercise in Accra, organised in collaboration with the Korle Klottey Municipal Health Directorate, Dr. Kwadwo Marfo Obeng, Medical Director of the Accra Psychiatric Hospital, emphasized the importance of decentralizing addiction treatment services.

“We went around the community leaders, and asked them what they wanted, and it was very clear that the people needed attention when they tend to go to the hospital. This is because the healthcare system tends to only take care of them when they are near death.

“If care is in the hospital, they will never come. So, it is good when the hospital is brought to them regularly, and go on the journey of recovery regularly.

“We tend to run this in perpetuity,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Dr. Linda Baafi, Municipal Director of Health Services for Korle Klottey, stressed the difficulty of managing substance abuse cases in a densely populated urban area. She called for stronger collaboration between the municipal health directorate and stakeholders in the health promotion sector to expand initiatives like the satellite clinic and improve coverage.

“Because we are an urban municipality, you will realise that we have a lot of people who will engage in this substance abuse all over the constituency. So, we need more people to come on board so we can reach out to as many people as possible who are addicted to substances,” she said.