The Role of Mental Health Legislation and Governance in Program Delivery
An Analysis of Ghana’s Mental Health Act 846 (2012)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64261/ijaarai.v1n2.006Keywords:
Mental Health Act, Governance, Policy Implementation, Mental Health Services, GhanaAbstract
Mental health legislation plays a critical role in shaping equitable and rights-based service delivery, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. In 2012, Ghana passed the Mental Health Act (Act 846) to decentralize care, protect the rights of persons with mental health conditions, and integrate mental health into general health services. This study examines the extent to which the Act has influenced mental health program delivery in Ghana, using qualitative data from 20 key stakeholders across the Western Region and national-level institutions. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and document review and analyzed thematically. The findings reveal that although awareness of the Act exists among stakeholders, its implementation has been hindered by weak institutional coordination, inadequate funding, limited decentralization, and absence of a Legislative Instrument. Rights-based provisions and regulation of traditional healing practices remain largely unimplemented. The study concludes that Ghana’s mental health legislation, while progressive on paper, requires targeted governance reforms, operational clarity, and sustained political will to translate policy into practice. It calls for immediate passage of the supporting Legislative Instrument, improved inter-agency coordination, and culturally grounded stakeholder engagement to ensure full realization of the Act’s goals.References
Adu-Gyamfi, Y., & Brenya, E. (2016). The Ghanaian National Health Insurance Scheme: Politics, policy and regulation. African Journal of Political Science and International Relations, 10(5), 56–65.
Amoako, M., & Owiredu, E. (2020). Mental health care in Ghana: Highlighting challenges and interventions. Ghana Medical Journal, 54(2), 92–98.
Doku, V. C. K., Wusu-Takyi, A., & Awakame, J. (2012). Implementing the Mental Health Act in Ghana: Any challenges ahead? Ghana Medical Journal, 46(4), 173–182.
Ghana Health Service (GHS). (2021). Annual report. Accra: Ministry of Health.
Human Rights Watch. (2014). Ghana: People with mental disabilities subjected to abuse. Retrieved from https://www.hrw.org/news/2014/10/08/ghana-people-mental-disabilities-subjected-abuse
Ofori-Atta, A. L., Read, U. M., & Lund, C. (2010). A situation analysis of mental health services and legislation in Ghana: Challenges for transformation. African Journal of Psychiatry, 13(2), 99–108.
Osei, A. (2017). The mental health system in Ghana: Challenges and prospects. Ghanaian Journal of Psychiatry, 6(1), 14–21.
Patel, V., Saxena, S., Lund, C., Thornicroft, G., Baingana, F., Bolton, P., ... & UnÜtzer, J. (2018). The Lancet Commission on global mental health and sustainable development. The Lancet, 392(10157), 1553–1598.
Read, U. M., & Doku, V. C. K. (2012). Mental health research in Ghana: A literature review. Ghana Medical Journal, 46(2), 29–38.
Republic of Ghana. (2012). Mental Health Act, 2012 (Act 846). Accra: Ghana Publishing Company.
Roberts, M. J., Hsiao, W., Berman, P., & Reich, M. R. (2008). Getting health reform right: A guide to improving performance and equity. Oxford University Press.
Saraceno, B., van Ommeren, M., Batniji, R., Cohen, A., Gureje, O., Mahoney, J., ... & Underhill, C. (2007). Barriers to improvement of mental health services in low-income and middle-income countries. The Lancet, 370(9593), 1164–1174.
World Health Organization. (2013). Mental Health Action Plan 2013–2020. Geneva: WHO.
World Health Organization. (2017). Mental health atlas 2017. Geneva: WHO.
Yin, R. K. (2011). Qualitative research from start to finish. New York: Guilford Press.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
