By Franca Ofili, News Agency of Nigeria
A Consultant Psychiatrist, Prof. Taiwo Obindo has called on the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to include mental health disorder diagnoses and treatments in its benefit package.
Obindo, President, Association of Psychiatrists of Nigeria (APN), made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja.
He made the call ahead of the commemoration of the World Mental Health Day on October 10.
The theme of this year’s celebration is ”Access to Services: Mental Health in Catastrophes and Emergencies”.
According to him, NHIA should include other mental health disorders diagnoses and medications in their list thereby reducing out-of-pocket spending and deliberate efforts at reducing cost of drugs.
Obindo called for the integration of mental health care into the
Primary Health Centres and the establishment of the department of mental health services in the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, in line with extant law.
According to him, the government should increase funding for mental health by having a budget line for mental health.
He said by doing that it would help address Nigeria’s significant mental health crisis, improve well-being, and reduce inequities in care
He explained the link between economic pressure and mental health (depression) and by extension suicide, adding that many catastrophic events are happening in the country with flooding, displacement, kidnapping, communal clashes and herders-farmers crises.
According to him, all these, with the attendant economic downturns, unemployment, underemployment, poverty among others have pushed many Nigerians to the brink.
He said that those who never had Mental Health Conditions (MHC) are now developing it and those who had and were stable are now relapsing.
According to him, those who had developed it and were on their way to recovery are now having recurrences of their symptoms.
Obidan advised individuals to know how to manage their stress, adding that families should look out for each other and act on subtle changes.
He also urged the community to collectively support those with MHC by advocating against stigma and discrimination, and encourage integration of the care into Primary Health Care (PHC).
The the psychiatrist also called for decriminalisation of attempted suicide to enable those who need help to seek same.
”If we look at it as an illness, we will not be punishing those who need help. Likewise, it will not drive people to completing the act,” he said
NAN reports that in July 2023, government said that mental health treatment would be enlisted as part of the conditions to be covered but the promise is yet to materialise