Pantang Psychiatric Hospital Appeals for Greater Support as Mental Health Funding Remains Inadequate
Medical Director Dr. Yennusom Maalug Warns “There Is No Health Without Mental Health” – “Set the Captives Free” Project Suspended Due to High Costs
The Medical Director of Pantang Psychiatric Hospital, Dr. Yennusom Maalug, has made a passionate appeal for increased support and funding for mental healthcare in Ghana, warning that current efforts are still far from sufficient despite policy advances.
Speaking on Channel One Newsroom, Dr. Maalug acknowledged some progress since the passage of the Mental Health Act in 2012 and the establishment of the Mental Health Authority in 2015, but stressed that the level of investment and attention remains critically low.
“We need more support,” he said plainly.
He urged Ghanaians not to treat mental health as a distant or abstract issue, noting that it affects almost every family in one way or another.
“There is no health without mental health. Each of us have one person or the other in our family that needs treatment for mental health. Let us not think it is far away,” Dr. Maalug emphasised. “I want to urge each of us to take mental health seriously and support Pantang Hospital.”
Challenges Facing the Hospital
The Medical Director highlighted the hospital’s flagship community outreach programme, “Set the Captives Free”, which rescues mentally ill persons living on the streets, provides them with treatment, and works with social welfare and district assemblies to reintegrate them into society.
However, he revealed that the project has been suspended due to its high operational costs.
“When we reviewed the project, the cost alone exceeded GH¢2 million,” he explained.
Despite the suspension, the initiative had successfully reintegrated 84 individuals back into society before it was paused. Dr. Maalug said the programme is currently under review and appealed to corporate institutions, non-governmental organisations, and philanthropists to support its revival.
Call for Collective Action
Dr. Maalug’s appeal comes amid growing concerns about the state of mental health infrastructure and services in Ghana, where stigma, underfunding, and limited community-based care continue to hinder effective treatment and rehabilitation.
He called on all stakeholders — government, civil society, faith-based organisations, and the private sector — to prioritise mental health as a national development issue.
The Pantang Psychiatric Hospital remains one of Ghana’s key specialised facilities for mental health care, serving patients from across the country.
Source: Interview with Dr. Yennusom Maalug on Channel One Newsroom (March 25, 2026)
