By Ojoma Akor & Esosa Osa
Experts working in the field of mental health have enjoined the federal government to pass the mental health bill into law.
They made the call in Abuja during this year’s Intersect Consortium’s ‘The conversation conference’.
They said passing the bill into law would address the gaps in mental health service delivery in the country.
Chief Executive Officer of Intersect Consortium, Dr Vincent Udenze, said the legal framework currently used for provision of mental health services in the country is over 60 years old.
He said there is a need to support those with mental health challenges in workplaces, instead of stigmatising them.
While saying there are inadequate mental health professionals in Nigeria, he added that there is need to give them the right framework to do their work through the provision of the mental health act by the federal government.
Chairman of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd), said since 2015, about 14.3 per cent of deaths globally was attributed to deteriorating mental health disorders.
He said there is a need to also mitigate drug use disorders, adding that a study last year found a link between the use of cannabis and schizophrenia, hence, putting pressure on society to make the world safer by curbing the use and trafficking of illicit substances.
The presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, Rabiu Kwankwaso, said mental health is paramount to the nation.
While promising sustainable programmes for mental health, he said the family unit is very important in tackling mental health problems.
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