By Asma’u Ahmad
A Chief Consultant Psychiatrist at National Hospital, Abuja, Dr. Olusola Ephraim-Oluwanuga, has called on the Federal Government to implement the national mental health policy.
Dr. Ephraim-Oluwanuga made this call in an interview with newsmen in Abuja to commemorate the World Mental Health Day.
According to her, the Nigerian Mental Health Act 2013 was re-introduced to the National Assembly and yet to be passed.
“We are not saying government did not do anything, what they need is to step it up and look at the National Mental Policy. But the government need to increase its investment in mental health, pass the Mental Health Bill and have a health policy on mental health as practiced in other developed countries,” she said.
Ephraim-Oluwanuga said mental health systems are subsystem of the healthcare system, and how these services are organised, delivered and financed is significantly influenced by the way in which the overall health services system are run.
She said the theme of this year’s mental health day was tagged “Psychological First Aid’ (PFA), adding that it is a technique designed to reduce the occurrence of post-traumatic stress disorder.
The consultant psychiatrist said people react to similar events differently, saying that not all people who experience a potentially traumatic event would actually become psychologically traumatised.
