- The lawyer said there were only 125 psychiatrists in the country handling the growing number of the patients in the country.
- Health CAS, Rashid Aman says one in four people who turn up at a healthcare facilities have a mental disorder.
Image: DICKENS WASONGA
Former jurists board chairman Njonjo Mue has called for increased budgetary allocation toward prevention and clinical management of mental illnesses.
Mue, who is also a human rights lawyer, said mental health cases have spiked in Kenya, amid substance abuse and lifestyle changes.
The former International Commission of Jurists chairman spoke to Kisumu based journalists during a roundtable discussion at Imperial Hotel on Tuesday.
Mue said there is a need to plug the funding gap that has derailed access to quality treatment for citizens suffering from mental illnesses, including depression and bipolar disorder.
He said only 0.01 per cent of the health allocation goes to mental health.
The human rights lawyer said that stress linked to modern lifestyles, alcohol and drug abuse, domestic violence and abject poverty have worsened the burden of mental diseases in the country.
Mue decried the high cost of the medical care for patients with mental illness.
“Most people suffering from mental health conditions do not get the required services. Medical care, in regards to mental health is very expensive,” he said.
He claimed that the society responds with silence on mental wellness adding that many families hide those who suffer from the condition.
“We don’t want to deal with mental illness. There’s not enough conversation on the subject,” he said.
Mue said those suffering from the condition are neglected and stigmatised. He urged the media to create awareness and change the public perception on mental health.
He said the victims are often chained against their will in pathetic and degrading conditions.
Mue said mental health can be managed and should not be linked to witchcraft or viewed as a curse.
The lawyer said there were only 125 psychiatrists in the country handling the growing number of the patients in the country.
Health CAS Rashid Aman says one in four people who turn up at a healthcare facilities have a mental disorder like anxiety, schizophrenia and depression, yet they are mostly unaware of their condition.
In May this year, Aman said that a policy and legislative framework is in place to facilitate investments in mental health care.
“The government and other stakeholders have adopted a strategy to promote financing and investments required to scale up access to quality and affordable mental health care services countrywide,” he said.
Aman spoke in Nairobi during a virtual multi sectoral forum on Kenya’s mental health investment attended by senior policymakers, development partners, experts and advocates.
He also said that a presidential task force has revitalised efforts to scale up funding, public awareness and novel clinical interventions to reduce the burden of mental illnesses in Kenya.
Nominated Senator Sylvia Kasanga sponsored the bill to amend the Mental Health Act.
The senator said Kenya is focusing on legal interventions to boost investments in mental health care services in line with the universal health coverage agenda.
Simon Njuguna Kahonge, director of Mental Health said legislative and policy reforms are in the works to address barriers in accessing mental healthcare services among vulnerable groups.
Kahonge said the country has adopted international practices to boost response to mental disorders linked to genetics, social and environmental factors.
He said the government is leveraging on data, research, telemedicine, robust financing and policy reforms to promote access to quality and affordable mental health care services.
He said other interventions include grassroots advocacy to reduce stigma and discrimination affecting the mentally ill.
The government set up a mental health taskforce in November 2019.
The task force was mandated to assess Kenya’s mental health systems including the legal, policy and administrative environment to identify areas that may benefit from reform, for optimal delivery.
Key findings of the Kenya mental health taskforce indicate that Kenya has a high burden of mental illness due to ill health, psychosocial disability and premature mortality with huge gaps in access to care.
It is estimated that one in every 10 people suffer from a common mental disorder.
The number increases to one in every four (20-25%) people among patients attending routine outpatient services.
The World Health Organization’s 2017 report on the world mental health situation ranked Kenya fifth among African countries with the highest number of depression cases.
The mental health taskforce report shows that there exists high levels of depression and suicidal behaviour and high levels of mental distress and substance use in Kenya.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)