Uasin Gishu Deputy Governor Daniel Chemno has urged the national government to hire and train more psychiatrists.
Speaking at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) during the World Mental Health Day on Thursday, Chemno said the current number is a drop in the ocean and cannot cater for the increasing number of mental illness patients.
“It is sad that Kenya has only 106 psychiatrists. More psychiatrists are needed to improve the treatment and care for mental health patients in the country,” he said.
“In MTRH we only have four psychiatrists, in Iten two, while in Kakamega one, and the rest of the counties in Western Kenya don’t have, it is a big challenge with a population of over 20 million,” he added.
Chemno called on the community to accept mental illness patients, adding that they are people who can be treated and be part of the community.
Dr Edith Kwoba a consultant psychiatrist and head of the Mental Health Department at MTRH said over 5 million Kenyans suffer from mental health disorders noting that most of them are not willing to seek medical attention because of the stigma associated with mental health.
She, however, said mental illness is prevalent among the youths aged 18 to 24 but most of them do not seek proper medication.