The Deputy Governor of Kaduna State, Dr. Hadiza Balarabe, has commended Governor Uba Sani for making mental health a fundamental human right through the enactment of the Kaduna State Mental Health Law.

Balarabe explained that the law, enacted on September 18, 2025, replaced the outdated Lunacy Act of 1958 and provides protections for all citizens living with mental health conditions, ensuring access to quality care and safeguarding against discrimination.

Speaking at a public lecture organized by the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Kaduna, to mark World Mental Health Day 2025, the Deputy Governor highlighted that the Governor has transformed the former Bureau for Substance Abuse into the Kaduna State Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency (KADSAMHSA).

She said the agency now coordinates care for mental, neurological, and substance use disorders in a unified and humane system, describing it as both an administrative and moral reform.

Dr. Balarabe noted that Kaduna State has trained and graduated the first cohort of 100 clinicians, including doctors, nurses, and pharmacists, from 10 General Hospitals under the WHO Mental Health Gap Action Program, ensuring that mental health care is integrated into community services rather than centralized.

She also highlighted the state’s 2024 initiative to address perinatal mental health by integrating screening into maternal and child health services, reaching women who might otherwise have suffered in silence.

“This initiative is saving lives, restoring families, and giving voice to many who once felt invisible,” she said.

The Deputy Governor praised the collaboration among KADSAMHSA, the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, the Ministry of Health, and the State Primary Health Care Board as a model of effective partnership.

She added that Kaduna State plans to extend mental health services to all 30 General Hospitals and every ward-level Primary Health Care center, including 23 designated Centers of Excellence. Efforts are also underway to make mental health care covered and affordable under the Contributory Health Scheme.

Dr. Balarabe called on government bodies, development partners, civil society organizations, faith leaders, and the private sector to support mental health initiatives with resources and influence.

She commended Dr. Aisha Yushau Armiyau, Chief Medical Director of the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, and Dr. Joe Ike, Director General of KADSAMHSA, for their leadership, professionalism, and dedication to advancing mental health care in the state.

She concluded that with these policy reforms, care in Kaduna has shifted from isolation to integration, from exclusion to inclusion, ensuring dignity and better outcomes for people living with mental health conditions.