09 April 2026 |Ghana Launches Maternal Mental Health Policy to Address Critical Care Gap
Ghana has taken a significant step to address a long-standing gap in its health system with the official launch of the Maternal Mental Health Policy (MMHP).
Ghana
WHO Special Initiative for Mental Health
WHO/Ben Adams
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Ghana was selected to be part of the WHO’s Director General’s Special Initiative for Mental Health in 2021 to support systems transformation and scaling up of mental health services. The Initiative seeks to ensure 5.2 million more Ghanaians have access to integrated, quality, person-centred mental health care in accordance with the Universal Health Coverage road map for Ghana.
Strengthening Mental Health Systems
Through activities under the Special Initiative for Mental Health, Ghana is strengthening mental health systems across the country. This includes:
Advocating for financial risk protection for persons living with mental health conditions under the benefit package of the national health insurance scheme.
Ongoing capacity strengthening in primary health facilities for early detection of mental disorders, treatment, management and psychosocial support.
Strengthening collaboration with civil society organisations, persons living with mental health conditions and relevant partners to improve the quality of mental health services through the work of the Mental Health Tribunal and Visiting Committees.
Building a research culture and facilitating an enabling ecosystem for research on mental health.
Resources
Publications
10 July 2026
Prevalence and distribution of depression in Ghana: A nationwide survey using Patient...
Depression often runs a chronic course and substantially impairs an individual’s occupational potential and quality of life. The incident cases of depression...
13 May 2022
Ghana - WHO Special Initiative for Mental Health
The first step taken by all countries in WHO’s Special Initiative for Mental Health was to carry out country-specific situation analyses to...
News
10 September 2026 | Advancing suicide prevention in Ghana with evidence, responsible reporting and a new national strategy
To mark World Suicide Prevention Day 2026, Ghana brought together the Mental Health Authority, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Ghana Health Service, the Association for Suicide Prevention Ghana and other partners to strengthen national action on suicide prevention. During this meeting, Ghana launched two new resources to strengthen evidence-based suicide prevention.
Learn more
12 March 2026 | WHO strengthens responsible suicide reporting to advance Ghana’s mental health agenda
The World Health Organization (WHO), together with the Association for Suicide Prevention Ghana (GASP), organised regional workshops to strengthen the capacity of media professionals in reporting responsibly and ethically on suicide and mental health issues.
15 October 2024 |NHIS expands coverage to include mental health services starting Nov. 1
Government has announced the expansion of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to cover four major mental health conditions: Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Anxiety Disorder, and Schizophrenia.
23-11-2023 Situational analysis of maternal mental health services in Ghana
10-10-2023 Expanding and improving mental health care services in Ghana
15-08-2023 Sustaining the mental health agenda in Ghana
20-10-2022 Redefining mental healthcare in Ghana
10-10-2022 Improving access to mental health services in Ghana
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