Participants at a colloquium on mental health have lauded the recent enactment of the National Mental Health Act, describing it as a significant stride towards upholding human rights, fostering community-based services, and enhancing the quality of care for individuals facing mental health conditions.
The participants spoke at an interdisciplinary colloquium on the implementation of the National Mental Health Act 2021 organised by the coalition of mental health interest groups consisting of patients and their families, mental health professionals, legal practitioners, the Nigeria police force, policymakers, and health administrators.
Recognising the potentially transformative impact of this Act in reshaping mental health services, the participants called for the immediate establishment of the Department of Mental Health Services as the first and predicate step in the implementation of the Act.
They further called for a broad dissemination of the Mental Health Act in simplified formats across different languages. They also agreed to the distribution of informational materials to religious groups, philanthropists, government bodies, and educational institutions.
Recognising the need to comprehensively engage the media to raise awareness about patient rights enshrined in the Act, they further stressed the need to educate religious communities on mental illness, available treatments, and ways to counter stigma effectively regarding mental facilities designated under the Act.
Other resolutions include developing tailored mental health education plans for secondary and post-secondary education institutions, educational establishments, especially medical and law schools, police and military colleges, and health administrators.
They also agreed to continue health education with professional development bodies by including it in their curricula education on the Mental Health Act; foster collaborative efforts with traditional healers to enhance inclusive patient care; and establishing the Mental Health Fund. The participants recognised the need to prioritise task-shifting strategies to address shortages of mental health practitioners.
The colloquium convened by Prof Adekunle Garba attracted about 120 participants, including politicians, representatives of ministers and the Ministry of Health, senior health administrators, legal and mental health professionals from all the geopolitical regions, and mental health and legal professionals from Canada, the United States of America, and Australia.
