Nyeri marks World Mental Health Day in style with call to destigmatize the condition
Nyeri County Chief Officer in charge of Health Adan Ibrahim (3rd right) flagging off a walk to mark this year's World Mental Health Day in Nyeri town.
By Our Correspondent
Worth Noting:
- In his statement, Health Director Dr. Nelson Muriu emphasized that we shouldn’t stigmatise mental health as it is a disease like others.
- The Department of Health Services in partnership with implementing partners has embraced various programs and interventions targeting mental health problems in the community, key among them are outreach services for mentally challenged persons by consultant psychiatrists in Naromoru Hospital, Karia Rehabilitation Centre, Ruruguti Dispensary, Bellevue, Karemeno Health Centres and Tambaya Dispensary.
- Further, mental health services are now integrated at all levels of service delivery, ensuring that the mentally ill clients are treated and integrated back to their families.
This year’s World Mental Health day was celebrated in across the country with the key message calling for destigimatization of the disease.
In Nyeri, the county Government through the Department of Health Services marked the day with a procession from the county’s health head office to CBD and later, an event held at the Nyeri Town Health Centre.
The event was flagged of by Chief Officer Health Services Adan Ibrahim who represented the CECM Health Services Robert Thuo.
The event themed ‘Making Mental Health and Well-being being for all a Global Priority’, aimed at raising awareness of mental health issues around the World and mobilizing efforts in support of mental health.
It addressed the value of promoting well-being among individuals, family and community in general. This day is marked globally on 10th October.
In his statement, Health Director Dr. Nelson Muriu emphasized that we shouldn’t stigmatise mental health as it is a disease like others.
The Department of Health Services in partnership with implementing partners has embraced various programs and interventions targeting mental health problems in the community, key among them are outreach services for mentally challenged persons by consultant psychiatrists in Naromoru Hospital, Karia Rehabilitation Centre, Ruruguti Dispensary, Bellevue, Karemeno Health Centres and Tambaya Dispensary.
Further, mental health services are now integrated at all levels of service delivery, ensuring that the mentally ill clients are treated and integrated back to their families.
In these interventions, the County Government is constantly riding on a robust network of community health volunteers, some of whom have been specifically trained on community level screening and management of mental illness and associated conditions.
The county government established a rehabilitation centre at Karia Health Centre which caters for persons suffering from alcohol, drugs and substance abuse which is a major cause of mental illness.
So far over 500 clients have been fully rehabilitated and integrated back to the community.
In addition, the County Government in collaboration with NACADA is constructing a 90-bed capacity rehabilitation centre at Ihururu Health centre which will be in operation soon.
Like Karia Rehabilitation Centre, Ihururu will offer services and attend to clients from the County and beyond.
Thus, the government hopes to expand the existing services and infrastructure at the County Referral Hospital Mental Health unit to offer comprehensive treatment and rehabilitative mental health services.
Area MCA Simon Mbogo, Nominated MCAs Lucy Wanyitu and Agnes Wachira as well as the Commissioner of Police Wilson Maklap were also in attendance amongst others.
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