Health Principal Secretary Khadijah Kassachoon has confirmed the ministry’s commitment to improving mental health of Kenyan citizens.
Speaking on Friday at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) where she attended a celebration to mark the world mental illness day, Kasachoon attributed this to the rising number of mental illness cases in the country.
“In Kenya, research done so far indicate that 25 per cent of patients seeking outpatient services in both public and private facilities suffer from mental disorder. For a vast majority, there is depression and anxiety. The ministry of health is therefore committed to improving the mental health status of Kenyans by ensuring prerequisite policies, regulations and standards are developed,” she said.
She went further to confirm that various policies are being put in place in a bid to ensure the provision of better services linked to mental illnesses.
The draft Kenya health policy 2015/2030 includes mental health decentralisation and integration in health service delivery system at all levels of care with emphasis on referral whenever necessary. The health sector strategic plan of 2013/2014 to 2017/2018 includes mental health intervention from community to the national level,” she added.
Kassachoon also appreciated efforts made by MTRH towards attending to mental health illness patients in terms of research and care.