Kaduna Takes Mental Health Care to Primary Health Centres

Residents of Kaduna State can now get mental health services at Primary Health Care (PHC) centres across the state, after the state government decentralised the services.

 

Dr Joseph Ike, Director-General of the Kaduna State Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency (KADSAMHSA), disclosed this on Monday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna.

 He said the move followed World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations on closing gaps in mental health care, and reflected Gov. Uba Sani's commitment to leading in the area, as shown by the establishment of the agency.

 A gap in access to care

 Ike said research has shown that one in four people will experience some form of mental health challenge in their lifetime, describing that as a measure of how common such conditions are.

 "We also know that one out of eight people have an active health challenge. But where the challenge really lies is 85 per cent of people who need mental health treatment do not have access to care.

 "It's really a national crisis," he said.

 According to him, shifting mental health services out of psychiatric hospitals and integrating them into general hospitals and PHCs will bring care closer to the people and help those affected detect their conditions early and get treatment.

 On drug abuse, Ike said the state government runs drug rehabilitation centres that are linked to some PHCs.

      "One of our centres has managed over 200 people since inception in 2024.

 "Governor Uba Sani made it clear to us that our focus should not be on treatment but strengthening prevention for maximum results in reducing the menace.

 

"To do that we have centres in seven local governments. These centres focus on children and adolescents with teachings and life skills training to prevent them from the onset from drug abuse," he said.

 He added that the agency would launch a programme called "Mental Health in Schools" to address and identify some of the underlying factors that lead to mental health problems and drug abuse.

 

Ike also said Kaduna State has implemented a comprehensive Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI) programme in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

 

"This revolutionary programme diverts individuals who commit non-violent, minor offenses due to a substance use disorder, away from the criminal justice system and into mandatory treatment.

 "This compassionate and pragmatic approach addresses the root cause of criminal behaviour, breaking the cycle of addiction and incarceration," he said.

 Speaking on the scale of drug abuse in Nigeria, Ike cited a 2018 survey which showed that one in seven people used drugs, and said the gap between male and female users was narrowing.

"We know more men than women used drugs but the gap is closing between men and women," he said.

He noted that drug-related problems are so widespread that almost every household in Nigeria is affected in one way or another.

More worrying, he said, is that most people with drug problems, including those who want help, do not have access to treatment.