LUTH harps on mental well-being at work-places

Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) has urged private and public institutions to pay more attention to the mental well-being of their workers, saying that work-related stress is a major cause of occupational ill-health, poor productivity and human error.

The management of the hospital stated this, yesterday, at a public lecture held in continuation of its 60th anniversary, at Idi-Araba, Surulere, Lagos, on the growing need to pay more attention to the mental well-being of workers in workplaces.

Prof. Fatai Badru, who spoke on the topic, “Mental well-being in the workplace: A new Era,” said: “For every individual that works, whether married or single, there are so many factors that impede mental health. Regardless of the number of people that work at a particular place, individuals have their strengths and weaknesses too.”

Also, Prof. F.O. Ania said: “A lot of recognition is now given to mental health unlike before when it was not well-recognised, particularly at workplaces.”

“Once an individual is physically healthy, people do not put into consideration their mental well-being as long as the person can function.

“From the definition of mental health, even though it is difficult to define it, it is a state of being in which the individual is at well being with himself, able to work productively and fruitfully and is also able to contribute to the well-being of the society. So, this means that work and mental health are two sides of a coin.”

Besides, Ania harped on why it is important to care about the mental well-being of workers in every organisation, saying: “Our ability to work productively and fruitfully is one of the determinants of our mental well-being. Working effectively also contributes to the mental well-being of the individuals and that is why the mental health of workers is taken seriously nowadays.”