The government is set to set up six mental health facilities across counties to address the emerging challenges.
CAS Mercy Mwangangi expressed concerns over the increasing cases of mental health in the country saying a lot of people were affected by the the Covid-19 pandemic that saw some turn into alcoholics.
Mwangagi said the government is addressing the challenges and budgets have been put in place.
"We are going to devolve issues of mental health, we will have six hospitals within the country to compliment the one that we have in Nairobi," she said.
The CAS also noted that they will also engage community health workers to talk to people and advice them on issues of mental health.
She further said plans to relocate mental care services from Mathari hospital to the 200-acres facility in Karen, Nairobi are in top gear.
The country has witnessed an exponential rise in the number of mental disorders in recent years, with statistics indicating that 20 to 25 per cent of outpatients seeking primary healthcare present symptoms of mental illness.
A taskforce on mental health inaugurated in December 2019 recommended a raft of measures, including declaring mental health a national emergency.
It also recommended the formation of a mental health commission to advise, coordinate and continuously monitor the status of mental health in the country.
Mwangangi was speaking in Kisumu during a medical camp organised by former deputy governor Ruth Odinga at Union Primary School.
Ruth said following Covid-19, people have been sitting at home with illnesses as they don't have financial capacity to seek treatment or even get medication, hence the medical camp has come to assist residents.
She said they organised transport for the medical camp attendees, adding that those that had complication were taken to the hospitals.
"We are happy that we have had patients from Western Kenya others coming as far as Homa Bay and Siaya counties to receive treatment in the camp," Ruth said.
She said the camp offered cancer screening, reproductive health, paediatric services, malaria screening, heart issues among other ailments.
