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Rumbidzayi Zinyuke-Senior Health Reporter
The Government is committed to utilising the available resources to increase availability of prevention, treatment and rehabilitation services for mental health patients.
Mental health disorders are one of the top five causes of the high disease burden in Zimbabwe.
It is estimated that 60 percent of the mental health cases in the country are due to substance abuse.
Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister, Paul Mavima, who is also the chairperson of the Inter-Ministerial Taskforce on drugs and substance abuse, yesterday reiterated the importance of proper treatment and rehabilitation of alcohol and substance abuse patients.
He was speaking at a breakfast meeting organised by Pamumvuri and the Association of Healthcare Funders of Zimbabwe (AHFoZ) on issues around mental health and substance abuse in the country.
“We need to have proper rehabilitation for these people. While we wait for the development of appropriate infrastructure for rehabilitation, we can convert some of the social amenities that are already there into rehabilitation centres.
“We have these beerhalls that are no longer being used. These are the same places that sometimes bring about these challenges so it’s only proper that we convert them,” he said.
He said his Ministry would ensure that families who have been affected by the scourge of drug abuse receive the necessary resources to be able to deal with the associated challenges.
“Unless we take this seriously as a nation, we are bound to lose out on the potential contribution of a very significant population, not just in Zimbabwe, but in Africa as a whole. Africa’s potential is the youthful population, so if we lose that, then we would have lost probably the most important factor that can make Africa great,” he said.
Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care Dr John Mangwiro said mental health was a serious health problem that needed a holistic approach to deal with it.
He said the Government was determined to ensure that all drugs needed to treat mental challenges and associated illnesses were available.
Dr Mangwiro also emphasised the need to convert available facilities to offer rehabilitation services.
“We need to step up training of psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses and nurse aides who specialise in this subject. We also need to take these campaigns to remote areas so that we raise awareness on mental illness and substance abuse. They need to know that these substances are destroying our youths,” he said.
He also urged medical aid societies to increase cover for the cost associated with treating alcohol and substance addiction as well as rehabilitation of the victims and their families.
However, funding for mental health remains low in Zimbabwe and Africa as a whole.
World Health Organisation focal person for non communicable diseases Dr Tsitsi Siwela said globally, only 2 percent of Government budgets were allocated to mental health.
She said for Zimbabwe, most of these funds were directed towards the Parienyatwa and Sally Mugabe Psychiatric Units with very little money channelled towards provincial and district hospitals to offer the same services.
“We need to come up with strategies on how we make mental health services available to everyone, not just those in Harare and Bulawayo but also those down in the remote areas. This is a complex situation that cannot be done by the Government alone but it needs all stakeholders to be involved,” she said.
She said there was need for a cost effective and efficient use of existing resources and health workers.
“As WHO, we are committed to support the Ministry of Health to make sure everyone everywhere has access to quality mental health care services,” she added.
Ahfoz chairman Mr Noah Matimba said healthcare funding towards mental health prevention programmes by medical aid societies was still low.
“It cannot be over emphasised that it is high time that the focus should shift towards mental health care issues and its prevention and treatment. Healthcare funders collectively cover approximately 13 percent of the population. The bulk of the mental health care expenditure by AHFoZ member’s societies goes towards consultation, rehabilitation services and medication,” he said.
Going forward, he said more focus would be directed towards introducing mental health prevention programs and rehabilitation instead of emphasis on consultations and medication.
Online Reporter