Mental health taskforce heads to Meru on January 13
Nominated MCA Elizabeth Gichuki speaks at a mental health seminar at Love and Hope Centre in Nakuru Town. She wants Nakuru County to set aside more funds for mental hospitals. PHOTO | FRANCIS MUREITHI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
The taskforce was inaugurated on December 11 last year by Health Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki.
The taskforce will assess the prevailing mental health status in Kenya, the social determinants and other factors contributing to mental illnesses.
A taskforce appointed by the government to collect views on the current status of mental health in the country will begin to conduct public hearing sessions from January 13.
The taskforce was inaugurated on December 11 last year by Health Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki.
A Cabinet meeting chaired by President Uhuru Kenyatta on November 21, 2019 set the pace for the establishment of the taskforce. The taskforce will start its sessions in Meru County on January 13 at Kamundi Hall.
The following day, it will head to Makueni County’s St Joseph Multipurpose Hall before moving to Uasin Gishu County on January 15. They will move to Nakuru's Old Town Hall on January 16 at Old Town Hall.
MEMORANDA
Kakamega County will host the team on January 17. Three days later, they will be at Aga Khan Hall in Kisumu before moving to Nyeri County the following day. They will be in Garissa on January 22.
The taskforce will then head to Mombasa County on January 23 before winding up their first round of public hearing sessions at Kenyatta International Conventional Centre on January 27.
However, those wishing to submit their handwritten memoranda to the taskforce must hand over their documents to the Ministry of Health headquarters at Afya House in Nairobi through postal address or by email to [email protected].
The taskforce will, among other things, assess the prevailing mental health status in Kenya, the social determinants and other factors contributing to mental illnesses.
It will also assess mental health systems including the legal and policy framework and report on the recommendations.
“The taskforce will outline legal policy and administration reform proposals aimed at transforming mental health systems for improved quality of life,” reads the brief from the Ministry of Health headquarters.
The public will be required to offer the mental health priority issues in their areas, proposals on practical solutions and the level of preparedness to address these mental challenges.
MORE FUNDS
Nominated Nakuru MCA Elizabeth Gichuki, who has been on the frontline to improve mental health in the county, petitioned the county assembly to set aside more funds for mental health facilities in the region in June last year.
“The county has no sound policies on mental health and should draft laws that will govern the increasing number of patients,” said Ms Gichuki.
Ms Gichuki said Nakuru County government should increase its annual allocation to mental health.
Last year, Governor Lee Kinyanjui said his administration had allocated Sh40 million to upgrade of Gilgil Mental Hospital and its maternity wing.
Ms Gichuki says the mental hospital needs a separate budget allocation due to its unique challenges.
“To address the mental health in Nakuru, the county government must set aside funds for mental health since the facilities at Nakuru Level Five Hospital and Gilgil Mental Hospital are in pathetic states,” said Ms Gichuki.
COUNSELLING
The current set up at Nakuru Level Five and Gilgil Mental Hospital will not solve the mental problems, all mental cases are handled at the ward levels.
“Nakuru Level Five Hospital ward eight is supposed to be for critical patients but those with mental challenges end up in the ward,” argued Ms Gichuki.
She added: “The county should train volunteers and social workers for early detection of mental illness to reduce the increasing cases of suicides,” said Ms Gichuki.
