By Lilian U. Okoro
Consultant Psychiatrist Prof Taiwo Obindo has called on the government, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector to seriously consider mental health as a priority.
Obindo, also the President of the Association of Psychiatrists of Nigeria (APN), made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Lagos.
According to him, there is a need for severe investments in mental healthcare because we have seen that when it is not taken care of, and a crisis hits, people are affected.
He lamented that the current economic challenges in the country were seriously taking a toll on people’s mental health, leading to increased cases of mental health conditions.
The psychiatrist said that governments should pay attention to the mental health of the citizens by ensuring the availability of quality mental health facilities and services.
According to him, serious investments in mental health care require increasing the budgetary allocation to the health sector and, by extension, to the mental health subsector.
“When you look at mental health programming within Nigeria, traditionally, like anywhere else in the world, it has been poorly funded over the years.
“There is a need to address the chronic underfunding of mental health services. Year after year, mental health budgets languish at the bottom of the priority list, starved of the resources they need to function effectively.
“The country cannot hope to build a healthy, prosperous society without investing in the mental well-being of its citizens,” he said.
Obindo decried the poor state of the few existing psychiatric hospitals and facilities and urged the government at all levels to intensify efforts to establish more psychiatric hospitals across the country.
He said that the establishment of more psychiatric hospitals became necessary due to the increasing cases of mental illness in the country, as the mental health facilities available were inadequate to cater to the rising cases.
The psychiatrist attributed the rising mental health cases to drug abuse, stress, economic downturn, unemployment, inadequate finances, depression, and the effects of subsidy removal.
“Equally pressing is the issue of inadequate facilities and infrastructure. Too often, those in need of mental healthcare are forced to travel long distances to access overstretched hospitals and clinics, only to find that essential medications and treatments are in short supply.
“Most states in the country do not have a functional psychiatric hospital, while the few existing psychiatric hospitals are dilapidated, and we have very few specialised cadres.
“According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), less than 10% of mentally ill Nigerians have access to the care they need.
“There is need to invest in the expansion and modernisation of our mental health system, ensuring that care is accessible to all who need it,” he said.
He decried the state of mental health care in Nigeria, stressing that the Federal Government should consider mental health a priority.
Obindo emphasised the need for the implementation of existing laws and policies designed to protect the rights of individuals with mental health conditions.
“The National Mental Health Policy, enacted in 2013, lays out a comprehensive framework for promoting mental health and ensuring access to quality care. But, these lofty aspirations remain unrealised,” he said.
