The Medical Director of the Hospital, Prof. Shehu Sale, while addressing newsmen during the roadshow said the activities were in commemoration of the 2023 World Mental Health Day with the theme ‘Mental Health is a Universal Human Right’.
Sale said the efforts are part of a progressive approach to create awareness of mental health, substance abuse, and related issues as well as decriminalised mental health perspectives to facilitate more access.
He said the day is an international day for global mental health education, awareness, and advocacy against social stigma as well as influencing policymakers on proactive engagements.
“We are looking beyond celebrating this day and look closely at the individuals around us with the eye of empathy.
”If one suffers from a disease, there is no reason to be stigmatised or to be criminalised, mental health is an integral part of the health system which is a complete state of physical, social, and mental well-being.
“Mental Health Act, the policy, the guidelines to be developed, all of those represent an approach that we are taking as a country. ” Sale said.
He explained that access, affordability and quality of mental health care should be an important direction that we should take in the context of our strategic blueprint for health.
Sale noted that FNPH Kware hosts a regional Women and Children Drug Dependent Treatment Center catering to the population in northern states as the first of its kind established by the Federal Government.
The center concentrates on women and children drugs drug-dependent victims coupled with the stigma always faced by patients on accessing such services even though they exist in some hospitals.
According to him, the hospital also provided integrated health services, providing treatment on forms of illnesses with standard laboratory services and other tests besides mental health services as an effort to reduce the stigma associated with such facilities.
