A redevelopment project at the Accra Psychiatric Hospital has been scheduled to take off in September 2022.

The project, according to the hospital’s Director, Dr Pinaman Appau, will be completed within 18 months.

Addressing a press conference in Accra, Dr Appau indicated the redevelopment forms parts of the government’s 111 agenda.

She revealed the Ministry of Health (MoH) is currently working on all prerequisites ahead of the redevelopment.

“The 230-bed project is expected to start at the end of the third quarter of 2022, although initial communication stated the end of June 2022,” she announced.

The Director also hinted at plans to reduce the number of patients at the facility in order to effectively and efficiently deliver on its mandate.

“The facility is being downsized from a 600 capacity bed to a 220 capacity bed because we do not want huge mental health facilities, as it is the best practice in mental health care across the world.

“We are bringing the service to the communities, to your doorsteps. So, the facilities will be taking care of more specialized cases,” she noted.

Dr Appau further dismissed claims that the hospital has been sold and urged the public to disregard the rumours.

“To the best of the knowledge of management, no part of this land has been sold, nor is it going to be sold. What we know is that there is going to be a redevelopment project that we have been informed of since 2017.

“We are not relocating. We are just moving our services from one part of the facility to another for the re-development to go on,” she explained.