Staff of Ankaful Psychiatric Hospital ‘Set Patients Free’

Staff of the Ankaful Psychiatric Hospital in the Central Region have laid down their tools in demand for the removal of the hospital’s Medical Director, Dr Eugene Dordoye.

They have thus closed the Out-Patient Department [OPD] of the facility and are discharging patients “prematurely.”

The staff had earlier in October petitioned the Minister of Health, Mr Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, to remove Dr Dordoye on the grounds that his style of administration was oppressive and that he was psychologically traumatising the staff, among other allegations of mismanagement.

They had also in August this year threatened to release all inmates of the facility onto the streets due to lack funds for their upkeep.

In an interview on Accra-based radio station, Citi FM, the Deputy Public Relations Officer of the Psychiatric Nurses’ Group, Benjamin Anewotey, Thursday’s action has been necessitated because all attempts to have their concerns addressed have proved futile.

He said “we are laying down our tools from now till we hear something from whether the minister or through management.”

“Those in the wards are being discharged prematurely due to our strike… those who will be coming to the OPD; none of them will be attended to by nurses. Every nurse is laying down their tools,” Mr. Anewotey said.

When Graphic online visited the hospital this morning all the wards were locked while the staff were outside the wards.

Some relatives of the inmates were stranded at the entrance watching events as they unfold.