About 400 nurses at the Accra Psychiatric hospital in Ghana have begun an indefinite strike today, alleging unsafe working conditions.
They say that the lack of essential medicines has resulted in some patients behaving aggressively, leading to nurses being attacked on several occasions.
They complain that because of a lack of health insurance they have to foot the bill themselves if they sustain injuries in the line of duty.
Nurses also say that on occasions they pay out of their own pockets to help patients in urgent need of treatment.
In September, the same psychiatric hospital shut down its outpatient department, because of financial constraints.
The World Health Organization estimates that of the 2.7 million people in Ghana who suffering from mental disorders, just 2% receive the treatment they need.
