Mental Health
Improving the lives of people
with mental health disorders in Somalia
Integrating mental health into primary health care in Somalia
10 October 2009
Conflict, amongst other contributing factors, continues to affect the
mental health of the Somali population particularly in the
worst-affected regions of South Central Somalia. Currently there is only
one major functioning mental health facility in South Central Somalia
that is the Habeb Public Mental Hospital with two branches which include
the Habeb Rehabilitation Treatment Centre and Jalalaqsi Mental Hospital.
The total bed capacity at the hospital is 232 beds. These mental health
facilities are treating people with both acute and chronic psychiatric
illness.
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Treatment and living conditions at
the mental health facilities are in dire need of improvement. Through
the Chain-Free Initiative (CFI), mobile outreach teams are providing
treatment to people with mental health disorders, and their families,
who cannot easily access mental health facilities due to remote location
and lack of transportation. The initiative is also helping to address
the treatment gap by providing the much needed medical diagnosis and
treatment to patients.
WHO is advocating with health partners and the community for an end to
the practice of chaining people with mental disorders with a view to
fostering chain-free homes.
A major component of the mental health programme is capacity-building of
health personnel for mental health service delivery to address the
current capacity and skills shortage. As a priority activity for WHO and
partners are conducting a diploma course on mental health for 30
qualified senior nurses from all over Somalia in the coming months.
In
collaboration with the Habeb Public Mental hospital, WHO commemorated
this year’s World Mental Health Day on 10 October at the Institute of
Health Science in Mogadishu. Mental health workers from the regions of
Bay, Middle Shabelle and Lower Juba in South Central Somalia, medical
students and the families of those with mental health disorders came
together to raise awareness of mental health disorders and of the need
to dramatically improve both medical treatment and pastoral care within
the field. Activities throughout the day, including theatre play also
aimed to highlight that mental health care is an integral component of
primary health care delivery but requires much more financial and human
resources. In addition to ongoing nurse training, mainstreaming mental
health services within out-patient departments and mother and child
health centres in Somalia will be the first step to integrating mental
health into primary health care.