A/HRC/31/57/Add.2 in recent years held up to 1200 patients at one time. The Special Rapporteur acknowledges information that since 2011, about 700 patients have been released under a “mass repatriation exercise,” but is dismayed by continued overcrowding, and by reports that among those released were patients who continued to be detained despite having “long recovered,” and whose relatives had not seen them for decades. It was also reported that as part of “Operation Clear the Streets” and the “Restoration of Dignity” projects, small groups of persons suffering from psychosocial disabilities have been removed from the streets, treated in hospital, and released in the care of their families. The Special Rapporteur recalls that coercive and non-consensual measures, including the restraint and seclusion of persons with psychosocial disabilities, must be prohibited, except to prevent harm to the patient and to others, and only for the limited time and using the measures strictly required for that purpose; non-consensual treatment, such as forced medication and ECT, should otherwise also be prohibited. 69. During his visit the Special Rapporteur observed that patients in wards moved around freely in the yards, and that beds and mattresses had to be set up outdoors due to overcrowding. The special ward for forensics, with a reported capacity for 80 persons, housed 138 individuals, of which 102 were forensic patients, with the rest having been removed from the general wards for behaving aggressively or on a voluntary basis. In this ward, one person was locked in a seclusion room, which saw out onto the open yard. Restraints, including chemical restraints, are applied occasionally, with minimal levels of force reportedly used only in situations when needed on an aggressive individual. Electroshock therapy (ECT) was not being practiced at the time of the visit due to broken equipment and the lack of capacity for administering full anesthesia; nurses are being trained in administration of anesthesia. The Special Rapporteur reiterates his concerns about the potential future use of ECT and the feasibility of obtaining free and informed consent, as required by international standards. 70. Chronic shortages of recent-generation psychotropic medication, leading to inadequate treatment, emerged as a chief complaint by both physicians and civil society advocates, who complained of inadequate funding, bureaucratic bottlenecks, poor reporting mechanisms, and cumbersome procurement processes. Providers reported having to supplement Government supplies, when possible, by ordering psychotropic medications as part of donations for the treatment of other ailments. The Ministry of Health confirmed frequent shortages of medications and the need for physicians to improvise solutions. It is essential that the State guarantees the provision of medicines in line with its international obligations with respect to the right to health and the prohibition of torture and other illtreatment. The Special Rapporteur also heard about food shortages, which led to psychiatric hospitals having to threaten closure before receiving emergency food supplies from the Government. C. Prayer Camps 71. Privately-owned and -run prayer camps continue to operate throughout Ghana, with a majority of Ghanaians resorting to prayer camp leaders and traditional healers to seek treatment for relatives suffering from an array of ailments, in particular psychosocial disabilities, which are believed to have “spiritual” causes. Rampant human rights abuses continue with impunity at prayer camps, including the non-consensual admission and “treatment” of children and adults, inhumane practices amounting to torture, such as shackling, prolonged chaining and restraint, and mandatory fasting. 72. The Special Rapporteur visited the Edumfa (Heavenly Ministries) Prayer Camp. The camp’s personnel insisted that chaining and shackling did not occur, and offered the Special Rapporteur a guided tour of the premises. However, the delegation discovered a locked 19