Why FG Should Bother About Mental Health of Nigerians-Rep
Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Specialty Healthcare, Dr Alex Egbona has spoken of the need for Nigerians to be concerned about mental health issues. He spoke in Abuja at a legislative round table with stakeholders on specialty healthcare delivery.
The round table was part of processes towards the set-up of a legislative framework that would guide the committee in its activities. The specialty healthcare is a new committee introduced by the leadership of the 10th Assembly, with Egbona as its pioneer chairman.
In an effort to give direction to the committee, Egbona has underscored the need for the country to pay greater attention to mental issues. To him, any discourse on health issues in the country without mention of mental health is incomplete.
He said there were increasing cases of suicide and depression in the country, especially considering the current economic realities, adding that if people’s state of mental health were ascertained, there would be an appreciable drop in cases of suicide and depression.
According to him, “if there has even been a time to pay greater attention to mental health issues, that time is now. People are reported to be committing suicide every time. Many times, you hear of people jumping into the lagoon.
“People walk on the streets and are absent-minded. It is easy to see accidents on the road that are caused by drivers whose state of mental health is questionable. We must prioritize mental health issues because this is one sure way of reducing the number of deaths in our country.
“If we check many of the people who are now living with various forms of disabilities, it will be shocking to discover that the genesis of their problem has to do with their mental health status. We must begin now to bother about mental health issues.”
Egbona said as much as it was important for people to ascertain their health status by testing for malaria, HIV/AIDS and other ailments, it was even more important to ascertain their mental health status periodically. He said his committee was committed to helping the federal government and Nigerians as a whole in this direction.
“This event is designed to create awareness and encourage us to take mental health issues in line with the prescription of the World Health Organisation. There is no health without mental health; so it is very important and we all need to prioritize it.”
He said mental health also encompassed people’s well-being and ensuring that they were in the right frame of mind at all times.
Ojo Tunde of the federal ministry of health, while speaking at the forum, stressed the need for regular exercises and wellness programmes as a way of enhancing their mental health.
