The government has been urged to pay monthly stipends to mentally-chal­lenged persons who returned home from rehabilitation centres, to help them meet their basic needs.

Mr Osman Ahmed Okyere, Chief Executive Officer of A New Beginning Rehabilitation Centre, a non-governmental organisation, said these monthly stipends would enable them to buy medication, food and other necessities that would help get their lives together.

The NGO helps stakeholders to take mentally-challenged people to hospital for medical treatment and rehabilitation.

Mr Okyere said it was the mandate of the district assembly to resource the Department of Social Welfare to support men­tally-challenged persons who had been adequately rehabilitated, and integrated back into society to help them live a normal lifestyle.

Mr Okyere in an interview with the Ghanaian Times in Accra on Monday, said it was also the responsibility of the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to liaise with the police, social welfare and health authorities to remove persons with mental disorder who were a danger to themselves and others, and found in public places to a mental facility for treatment and rehabilitation.

Furthermore, he stated that even though mental health has been classified by the state as a disability and was included in Dis­trict Assembly Common Funds for the disabled, he claimed that some districts assemblies were not willing to support these persons.

He commended La Dade-Ko­topon Municipal Assembly for their continued support to mentally-challenged persons in the municipality.

Highlighting the achievements of the organisation, Mr Okyere noted that they had been able to "capture" and send four men­tally-challenged people and one drug addict to the Pantang and the Accra Psychiatric Hospital for rehabilitation.

Targeting to rehabilitate 1,000 people in a year, the CEO stated that, it was their hope that in the few years ahead, Ghana would be free from mentally-challenged persons roaming on the streets, adding "this is not setting a good image for the country." He urged individuals who were willing to support any mental­ly-challenged person both finan­cially or physically to get in touch with the organisation or they should visit any social welfare in any district to be guided through the processes.

Also, Mr Okyere called on the general public to cease stigmatis­ing persons with disabilities like the mentally unstable individual, and make society friendly to help them thrive.  BY CECILIA LAGBA YADA