Wisconsin University College – Ghana Commissions Neurodiagnostic Centre
As part of its commitment to help improve mental health care in the country, Wisconsin International University College -Ghana (WIUC-GH) in collaboration with Purple Point Diagnostic (PPN), in the United States of America (USA) has commissioned an ultra-modern Neurodiagnostic Centre on its premises.
The facility which is licensed by the Health Facility Agency of Ghana (HeFRA) under the Ministry of Health is aimed at training students and also providing Neurodiagnostic Services to the general public.
This according to Dr. Charles Acheampong, Director, of the Centre for Professional Studies of the University is to help support and address mental health cases in Ghana.
Extolling WIUC-GH for their immense contribution towards mental health situations in the country in a speech read on her behalf at the commission in Accra recently, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Mental Health Authority, Dr. Caroline Amissah stressed the need for educational institutions in the country to pay proper attention to mental health situations, especially among their student body.
Giving a brief background of mental health training in Ghana, Dr. Caroline Amissah said mental health training started in Ghana in the year 1952 by a British named Mrs. Haggison at the Accra Psychiatric Hospital at Asylum Down.
She continued that it was followed by the University of Ghana in 1963, Ankaful Nurses Training Centre (NTC) in 1969, and Pantang Hospital in 1977 respectively.
Whilst the few remaining facilities followed in subsequent years. The Chief Executive Officer observed that with the introduction of modern facilities, the treatment of mental health cases in Ghana was improving gradually as compared to the traditional way of treating mental cases by traditional healers in the 1880s.
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Giving data on cases reported from 2018 to 2022, she said among all the cases, epilepsy cases increased in 2022 with the Ashanti Region recording the highest number of cases with a total of 2,670 cases representing 14% out of the national figure of 18,508.
Mrs. Amissah admitted that data of the presented figures might be underreported since only persons whose cases were reported at the hospital had their data captured.
She gave a table presentation of other mental cases as follows: Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHA) -mh 2018- 406, 2019- 358, 2020-520, 2021-418,2022-351, Autism: 2018-355,2019-370,2020-470,2021-456,2022-381
Conduct/Behavioural Disorder- mh 2018-143,2019-145,2020-143,2021-158 and 2022-288.
She advised that patients with mental health disorders should seek early medical attention.
The CEO of Purple Point Diagnostics, Lucien Kilonda, and Corporate Affairs Officer of Purple Point Diagnostics, Tegoo Djoyum expressed their heart-filled joy for partnering with WIUC-GH for putting up the ultra-modern facility to support health care delivery in Ghana. They pledged their continued support for the University and Ghana in other areas.
President of the Wisconsin University College, Prof. Obeng Mireku expressed the University’s gratitude to Purple Point Diagnostics and stakeholders in the health industry for their support and assured all of the proper maintenance of the facility.
By Margaret Esaah Boakye
