NAIROBI, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- Kenya on Thursday launched an initiative to improve access to quality mental health care and enhance protection of citizens with cognitive impairments.
Susan Mochache, Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Health, said the initiative will help the country address rising cases of mental illness linked to rapid urbanization and broken social structures.
"The country has witnessed an unprecedented rate of suicide death and increasing burden due to substance use disorders and related complications, even among children and adolescents," Mochache said at a mental health forum in Nairobi.
She said persons with mental illnesses are often ostracized, stereotyped, feared or shunned by the society hence denying timely care to enable them to achieve their full potential.
"The trend of erroneously ascribing mental illness to curses, evil spirits or witchcraft must stop," said Mochache.
She said the rising burden of mental ailments in the country threatens to reverse gains that have already been in the overall improvement of the physical health status of populations.
"Failure to address mental health portends significant socio-economic implications in terms of health care needs and lost productivity and ultimately curtails the achievement of our goals as a country," said Mochache.
She said the initiative offers a strategic positioning of mental health in the country's agenda and mobilization of resources to address these disparities.
Mochache said that the care available in mental health facilities around the country is not only of poor quality but also hinders recovery as most families lock away people with mental illness in small, prison-like cells with no human contact.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 800,000 people die annually due to suicide which accounts for a suicide death every 40 seconds.
In Kenya, Mochache said that mental illnesses are a significant cause of morbidity, with an estimated 25 percent of outpatients and up to 40 percent of in-patients suffering from these conditions.
Rudi Eggers, WHO Kenya Representative, attributed poor mental health to rapid social change, stressful work conditions, gender indiscrimination, social exclusion, unhealthy lifestyle, physical ill-health and human rights violations.
He said that national mental health policy should not only be concerned with providing effective responses for people with mental health conditions but also with broader issues that promote mental health.
"Mental health promotion should be mainstreamed into governmental and non-governmental policies since good mental health status is a priority for all, not just the health sector," said Eggers.
He regretted that despite making strides, mental health still remains a neglected part of the global efforts to improving health. Eighty percent of people experiencing mental health conditions, including individuals experiencing neurological and substance use conditions are without any form of quality, affordable mental health care and support.
Simon Njuguna, director of mental health at the Ministry of Health, said the new initiative aims at improving the quality of care and human rights at the inpatient and outpatient mental health services in the country.
"It is also aimed at helping create community-based and recovery-oriented services that respect and promote human rights and independent living in the community, "said Njuguna.
Kenya is the second country in Africa after Ghana to launch the initiative that was started by the WHO to improve the quality of care provided by mental health services and promote human rights globally.
