Health gap noted

Health Reporter
Government should decentralise mental health institutions to ensure all mental patients countrywide have access to treatment, health experts have said.

Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) clinical psychologist, Mr Emmerson Gono and the Ministry of Health and Child Care mental health nurse Mr Custon Masango, told a health talk held in the capital last week that mental health services were not readily accessible.

The two were speaking ahead of belated celebrations to mark World Mental Health Day.

“More mental health facilities should be established so that people can access them at primary level and only serious cases can be referred to major institutions, said Mr Gono.

“This initiative, I think, is a major thing that the stakeholders should address as we commemorate the belated World Mental Health Day.”

Mr Gono said his organisation had witnessed numerous challenges while dealing with mental patients, mainly in prison hospitals.

MSF is working with mental patients at Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison’s psychiatric unit and other prison centres around the country.

Mr Masango underscored the importance of the decentralisation of mental institutions.

He said his ministry was going to work on prioritising mental health care.

“Mental health has not been recognised as compared to maternal health,” said Mr Masango.

“I am sure the ministry is going to ensure that mental health institutions are decentralised.”

He said psychiatric nurses had been positioned at all major hospitals around the country, but were not enough to cater for all mental patients.