Australia supports Ghana’s first Mental Health & Wellbeing Conference
10 October 2013 – The Australian Government is supporting Ghana’s first Mental Health & Wellbeing Conference, which will open tomorrow at the College of Physicians and Surgeons Hall in Accra.
The conference will engage Ghanaian and international stakeholders in practical planning activities around the theme of ‘Understanding, Inclusion, and Stigma Reduction’ of mental health issues.
The conference is timed to coincide with World Mental Health Day today, 10 October 2013, a day set aside by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to create awareness of mental health disorders and promote mental health.
The Australian High Commissioner to Ghana, Ms Joanna Adamson, will participate in the conference alongside Ghana’s Minister of Health, the Hon. Sherry Ayitey, the Minister for Gender and Social Protection, the Hon. Nana Oye Lithur, and the Ghana Health Service’s Chief Psychiatrist, Dr Akwasi O. Osei.
“The Australian Government is delighted to be supporting this conference through the High Commission’s Direct Aid Program, which provides funding to projects aimed at alleviating poverty and promoting human rights. Through raising awareness of the issues around mental illness in Ghana, this conference could help do both,” said Ms Adamson.
The conference is being organised by the Mental Health Foundation of Ghana with the support of other Australian institutions including the University of Newcastle, several Rotary Clubs in Melbourne and a number of small businesses in Australia.