By Murtala Muhammad
A mental health expert, Dr Fawaz Babandi, has expressed concern that there are only two hundred psychiatrists and one thousand psychiatric nurses serving over two hundred million Nigerians.
Dr Babandi, who is the Head of the Department of Psychiatry at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH), Bauchi, made this known at an event to commemorate World Mental Health Day in Bauchi.
The event with the theme “Access to Service – Mental Health in Catastrophes and Emergencies,” was organised by Plan International Nigeria’s ASPIRE Project, funded by Global Affairs Canada, in collaboration with the State Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
It brought together participants from the State Primary Health Care Board, State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), and the Ministries of Education, Women Affairs and Child Development, as well as Civil Society Organisations and Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).
Dr Babandi noted that to meet the mental health needs of Nigeria’s growing population, there is a need to provide adequate specialised facilities, ensure equitable distribution of experts across rural and urban areas, and strengthen referral systems to improve access to care.
Declaring the event open, the State Commissioner for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Sani Mohammed Dambam, represented by the Ministry’s Director of Public Health, Abdullahi Danasabe, stressed the importance of mental health to human life and commended Plan International Nigeria for commemorating the day.
In his address, the Country Director of Plan International Nigeria, Mr Charles Usie, observed that many children, adolescents, and young people in Nigeria face emergency-induced disruptions that expose them to anxiety and trauma.
Mr Usie, represented by Noel Gukas, emphasised the organisation’s commitment to ensuring that survivors have access to mental health and psychosocial support services.
The Executive Chairman of the Board, Dr Rilwanu Mohammed, represented by the Director of Primary Health Care, Dr Sufiyan Jibril, said that just as physical health receives attention, equal importance should be given to mental health through regular checks and evaluation.
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