By Racheal Asamoah
Basic Needs-Ghana, a leading mental health and development advocacy organization, has launched an ambitious 36-month project aimed at improving maternal and child health outcomes for vulnerable women across Ghana.
The initiative, which underscores the critical health needs of women during pregnancy and childbirth, will focus on strengthening community health systems in some of the most deprived and disadvantaged communities in the country.
Themed “Strengthening Community Health Systems to Enhance Integrated People-Centred HIV, TB, SRH, and MHPSS for Vulnerable Women and Adolescents in Ghana” aim to enhance maternal and child health outcomes by focusing on the integration of mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) with services related to sexual and reproductive health (SRH), HIV, and tuberculosis (TB).
The project will train, support, and supervise community healthcare workers to use specialized screening tools for identifying MHPSS care needs among pregnant women and postpartum mothers, including those living with HIV and TB.
This approach is expected to ensure early identification and intervention for mental health issues, which are often overlooked in maternal healthcare.
The project will be implemented in at least 28 deprived and disadvantaged communities across 14 districts in seven regions of Ghana, including the Northern, Northeast, Upper East, Upper West, Bono, and Greater Accra regions.
Peter Yaro, Executive Director of BasicNeeds-Ghana, explained that the focus on these specific communities is due to their critical health needs, particularly among women during pregnancy and childbirth. He noted that women in these communities face higher risks due to fragile healthcare systems and the added burden of HIV and TB, which tend to affect them more severely than other populations.
Dr. Susan Sefa, a psychiatrist at the Mental Health Authority, underscored the importance of addressing mental health issues in pregnant women and new mothers. She pointed out that the perinatal period, which includes pregnancy and the postpartum phase, is a critical time for women’s mental health, yet it is often under-researched and under-addressed in Ghana. The project, she said, will help fill this gap by integrating mental health services into the broader maternal healthcare framework.
This initiative by Basic Needs-Ghana is a significant step toward improving the overall health outcomes for women in Ghana, particularly those who are most vulnerable. By strengthening community health systems and ensuring that healthcare workers are equipped to address the full spectrum of need including mental health, the project aims to create lasting, positive impacts on the lives of women and their children.