Mental Health Authority advocates allocation of 1% COVID-19 levy to mental health services
The Mental Health Authority is advocating for the allocation of the 1% COVID-19 levy to fund mental health services to address the funding gap affecting their operations.
This was made known at the inaugural launch of the month of May as ‘Mental Health Month’ in Accra on April 29, 2024.
Ghana faces a significant barrier to achieving the Universal Health Coverage target due to limited financial risk protection for people with mental health conditions. The Mental Health Authority suggests channeling the 1% Covid-19 levy into the Mental Health Fund as a step towards improving mental health management.
The Authority is considering the move and hints of plans to discuss it further with the appropriate quarters. CEO of the Authority, Professor Pinaman Appau expressed surprise at the lack of funds for the Mental Health Fund despite its establishment years back.
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According to her, “funding is still a major challenge and it’s just that we try. The little that we get we try to use it to get the maximum out of it. We have been lobbying that some of these levies be used for the MHA Fund. So, the covid levy, could we get a portion? The taxes on alcohol and tobacco and all that, because let’s face facts, the complications come to us to resolve so why don’t we get some percentage coming to the Authority just to fund us?”
President of the Ghana Psychiatric Association, Dr. Collins Badu recommends immediate action to enhance mental health services as he backs calls for the levies to be allocated to the Mental Health Authority.
“Let’s re-direct it to 1% Mental Health Service levy and I am confident it will re position our healthcare service delivery, so we can have total health not just physical health. Why scrap it if it can help address the 90% treatment gap that Ghanaians are facing.
We have a lot of young ones who are allowing themselves to be taken away by behavioral addictions, excessive indulgence in the use of internet that is affecting their mental health. There is a lot of work that we need to do. This levy can support the training of human resource, research to be able to understand where our priorities are to channel our efforts for the developmental agenda for Ghana,” he explained.
Currently, the Authority heavily relies on its Internally Generated Funds (IGF) for most of its activities, in addition to government funding.
By Sarah Apenkroh
