The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr. Femi Olugbile, has disclosed that the recently adopted State Mental Health Policy will activate and enhance existing capabilities of mental health facilities and human resources.
Olugbile, who stated this on Thursday at a training workshop for medical personnel on Mental Healthcare put together by his Ministry in collaboration with Pfizer Limited, said that Lagos is the first state government in Nigeria to claim, announce and commit itself to a mental health policy that will ensure that everybody had access to mental healthcare.
He said: “What we are seeking to do in Lagos is to activate the existing capabilities of those health officers who are seeing mental health patients by educating them and increasing their knowledge in mental healthcare as well as re-orientate them on the need for empathy to their patients.”
The Permanent Secretary noted that the government will, in the process of implementing the mental health policy, leave no stone unturned in activating the primary health care system to ensure that a primary healthcare facility is located in each of the 57 local government and local council development areas to offer 24 hours primary health services, including mental healthcare services.
Olugbile explained that government is building a stakeholders’ community to include non-governmental organisations and private entities like Pfizer to assist in the implementation of the policy and strategies.
He thus called on corporate and non-governmental organisations to partner with the state government in the development of human resource and other areas outlined as strategies in the mental health policy.