By Francesca Hangeior.
On January 5, 2023, former President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) signed the Mental Health Bill 2021 into law, replacing the outdated Lunacy Act of 1958.
However, 16 months after, the Federal Government has yet to establish a Department of Mental Health Services in the Federal Ministry of Health, reports have revealed.
The National Mental Health Act 2021 allows for the establishment of a Department of Mental Health Services in the Federal Ministry of Health, to propose national health policies and facilitate their approval and implementation.
It also allows for the support of advanced mental health, provides healthcare services, and ensures humane care and rehabilitation in the most permissive setting.
The bill also promotes culturally appropriate, affordable, and accessible mental health care.
Experts say without the establishment of the department, Nigeria is still operating under the Lunacy Act, as the aim of the Mental Health Act 2021 can only be achieved through effective implementation.
Confirming the findings, the President of the Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria, Professor Taiwo Obindo, said the FMoH was meant to establish the department, adding that nothing had been done.
He also said that the government had yet to establish the National Mental Health Fund.
Obindo added, “Though there was a roadmap that was outlined by the programme, nothing concrete had been done. The National Review Committee is meant to look after those who want to establish mental health facilities.
“They are meant to accredit them and re-accredit them; they are meant to ensure that the already established facilities meet the minimum requirements before they are permitted to function.
“For every facility that is going to be established, there are requirements. So, if the department is not established, we continue to have all these charlatans occupying the space, offering mental health services, and then impinging on the rights of people who have mental health conditions.
“That is meant for the establishment of the National Mental Health Fund, and that is meant to assist all these activities. We know that for 2024, we may not have an allocation because it wasn’t done before now. But then, opportunities are bound for philanthropists, corporate organisations, and individuals to plunge into it.”
He stated that without the establishment of the department and allocation of funds for mental health, the rights of individuals with mental health conditions will continue to be infringed upon.
“It’s like we’re still running the Lunacy Act. The Mental Health Services Department is meant to be an autonomous department with a budget line, not a unit or a programme under another department.
“Some countries even have a Ministry of Mental Health; these are countries that understand the importance and the impact of mental health in the life of every citizen. We need the government to do the needful,” he said.
Also, a consultant psychiatrist and Medical Director of the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Dr Olugbenga Owoeye, said the establishment of the department will help in the implementation of the act.
He said, “We are asking for the department to enable us to operate the act, but the Federal Ministry of Health is doing everything possible now to establish the department. They have a unit for the mental health programme which is a precursor to the establishment of the mental health department.
“I am hopeful that the department will be ready this year for the country to operate the act so that people can benefit from it. The ministry is working day and night to float it and ensure the department is established.
When contacted, the National Coordinator of the National Mental Health Programme at the Federal Ministry of Health, Dr Tunde Ojo, requested that a text message be sent to him on the matter.
He has yet to respond to the text message sent to him as of the time of filing this report.