Mental health illness in the country is still a major public health challenge with minimal response cited as minimal, despite the condition being a risk factor for numerous other diseases.

It has been revealed that mental health illness contributes to disability besides being an ingredient for a number of Non-Communicable diseases- cancer, diabetes, road accidents and even advanced HIV disease among others.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), one out of four people seeking healthcare services globally, will be impacted by mental illness at some point in their life.

Experts feel that mental health illness has been given a raw deal in all public health issues of concern.

“We have a serious unmet need when it comes to mental health illness response because of low coverage of a health workforce dedicated to the condition,” said Mathari National Teaching and Referral Hospital Chief Executive Officer, Dr Julius Ogato.

No mental heath worker

The unmet need gap is so huge that according to Dr Ogato, several counties in the country that doesn’t have a single mental health worker.

He singled out a shortage in Health Products and Technologies (HPTs), where current treatment methods are not available as patients are left at the mercy of obsolete medication strategies.

The current treatment methods are not available, yet mental health illness has advanced, he said yesterday during the unveiling of the national clinical guidelines for management of common mental disorders in Nairobi.

“Funding mental health response has not been prioritised as the amount of money that goes to taking care of the condition is dismal and has led to the challenge of expert shortages,” Dr Ogato said.