FG to make mental healthcare accessible in S’East 

To complete, equip 15 outposts in region

Basking in the euphoria of his reappointment, the Chief Medical Director of the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu, Prof. Monday Igwe, has said his administration will work to make mental health accessible to people of the South East as a cardinal objective of Federal Government.

Igwe, who resumed his second term in office, following his reappointment for another four years by President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, stated that he would work to complete the 15 mental health outposts in the region that were begun by his administration for access to mental healthcare.

He told journalists shortly after being received by enthusiastic workers of the institution that, already, nine out of the 15 outposts had been completed and equipped, stressing that each will be domiciled in each of the senatorial zones of the five states in the region.

He said: “This hospital is the only psychiatric facility in the entire South East region. It is also the only facility for training of doctors and nurses in psychiatry. It offers research in terms of mental health in the region. It is our mandate to give clinical services to people that have mental illnesses.

“The hospital is also available for the people of South-South and parts of North Central regions. So, if we don’t do well, we will be leaving Nigerians to suffer. That’s why we want to make this place the best and centre of excellence in mental health practice.

“There are a number of ways to actualise this. Since many people live very far away from Enugu State, we want to make sure our newly built outposts in South East are functional.

“We have ensured that each of the 15 senatorial districts in the region has one outpost. We have successfully completed and equipped nine of them, while the rest are ongoing.

“Those ones we have completed are going to be activated. We are going to post our staff there.  Shortage of manpower was delaying us from posting staff there. But we have got a new set of staff. Nurses were recently recruited. We’re going to post them there.”