UFO calls on govt to rescue citizens with severe mental health challenges from streets

The Universal Friendship Organisation (UFO) has issued an urgent appeal to the Government and health authorities, demanding immediate intervention to remove and rehabilitate individuals living with severe mental health challenges on the nation’s streets.

Describing the situation as a "national crisis and a humanitarian failure," the organisation warned that the growing visibility of these vulnerable citizens poses risks both to public safety and human dignity.

According to Mr. Samuel Adobah, President of UFO, recent field observations reveal a grim reality across communities. Many individuals with mental health conditions are left to survive in unsafe conditions, with reports of public defecation, consumption of harmful substances, and engagement in hazardous acts such as lighting uncontrolled fires.

"We are witnessing a tragedy unfold in real-time," Mr. Adobah said. "We have abandoned our most vulnerable citizens to the streets. This is not only a security risk to the public, who are exposed to unpredictable behavior and unsafe conditions, but it is a profound violation of the rights and dignity of these individuals. We cannot claim to be a peaceful society while allowing our fellow citizens to perish on the pavement."

UFO emphasised that mental health is a critical public health issue that requires immediate, collective, and compassionate action. While existing frameworks like the Mental Health Authority Act are in place, the organisation criticised gaps in implementation as a major factor contributing to the crisis.

In its statement, UFO called on His Excellency the President, the Ministry of Health, the Ghana Health Service, the Mental Health Authority, psychiatric hospitals, the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health, and all Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to coordinate an emergency response.

The organisation outlined several urgent demands, including the immediate nationwide rescue of individuals living on the streets, provision of both emergency and long-term shelters, increased access to professional mental health care, enforcement of existing policies addressing socio-economic causes of homelessness, and the establishment of a National Mental Health Check-ups Day for the general public.

UFO pledged its support to the government and stakeholders, urging civil society, religious groups, and the private sector to join the effort in safeguarding the rights and dignity of vulnerable citizens.

"This is a test of our national character," Mr. Adobah concluded. "Together, we must act decisively not just to clear the streets, but to heal the wounds of our society. True friendship and peace begin with how we treat our most vulnerable."

The Universal Friendship Organisation (UFO) advocates for the inclusion, dignity, and protection of marginalized groups and works to foster peaceful and compassionate communities nationwide.