Hundred years in the life of anybody or any institution is no mean achievement and the Accra Psychiatric Hospital is justified to be launching its centenary celebration today .
The history of the Psychiatric Hospital which is virtually the history of mental health in the country started when Sir Griffith signed the Lunatic Asylum Act of 1888 into a law.When he created the Special Prison for the Insane, that was the birth pang of the hospital and eventually when the Asylum was built and commissioned in 1906, that marked the birth of the hospital whose centenary we are commemorating now.

Governor Griffith had a great vision in mind when he built the hospital and its good works so far are enough vindication and he will forever be remembered for his vision which has matured into a reality.
  
Mental health is of utmost importance in every nation’s health delivery system.  According to WHO Report of 2001 on Mental Health, about 450 million people worldwide suffer from mental or neurological disorders or from some form of psychosocial problem arising from alcohol and drug abuse. Depression is fourth among the top ten causes of global burden of disease and in the next fifteen years it may well move to the second position.  70 million people suffer from alcohol dependence.  50 million people suffer from epilepsy while 24 million suffer from schizophrenia. Between ten and 20 million people attempt suicide every year and one million complete it. Virtually every family has at least one member with mental illness and every fourth person in the world will have a mental illness at some point in his or her life. These figures have not changed since the report.

These are frightening statistics and that makes mental health a very major issue of concern. On the local front the situation is not different and again it confirms that we all have an issue on our hands. We doff off our hats for the gallant staff of the hospital, both past and present, who have worked under very trying conditions to restore the mental health of our people.

Ghanaians recognize the challenges the hospital and its staff have been going through. The lack of funds is well known to all. Inadequate staffing in the face of increasing workload is fully appreciated. Lack of drugs you require to attend to your patients and occupational hazards and risks you have been going through, is testimony to your determination to contribute to national development. The Ministry has taken full cognizance of the plight of mental health workers and is committed to raising the standards of mental health care to the level where every young health worker will want to be part of you. 

The revised policy of the Ministry of Health is to create wealth through health and it is obvious that this cannot be achieved without mental health. Can we imagine a physically healthy person who is not mentally healthy but actively engaged in work to create wealth? One is not completely healthy if he is not mentally sound. That is why the Ministry will continue to give mental health all the needed support.

It is indeed unfortunate that the Mental Health Bill is taking too long to see the light of the day but mental health workers can be assured that the Ministry is keen to have this law passed not only to address all your concerns but also to be used as an  instrument by which the quality of mental health care delivery will be raised.

The relocation of the Accra Psychiatric Hospital is still being discussed and whichever way, the Ministry will only take a decision that will be in the best interest of the hospital, its staff and patients and the country as a whole.
As we celebrate 100 years of the establishment of the Accra Psychiatric Hospital, it is important to remind the youth in particular and all Ghanaians in general to say NO to alcohol and all forms of drug so that we can have a healthy working population for increased productivity and national development.
Finally, “ Ayekoo” to all mental health workers, both past and present, who have helped the Accra Psychiatric Hospital to be what it is today. The good people of Ghana appreciate your worth and this day is your day.