By Edwin M. Fayia, III,fayiaedwin@gmail.com
An Advocacy group, Mental Health Leadership Advocacy Program has provided a comprehensive report, highlighting some useful progress, challenges and impacts on the overall mental initiatives in Liberia.
During the program held at a local resort in the Monrovia suburb of Sinkor, Liberia MHLAP country facilitator, Mrs. Sametta Thomas pointed out that significant progress in mental health patients’ care, caregivers and service providers were made during the period under review.
She also reminded the gathering of health stakeholders and other trainers of the MHLAP program in Liberia that as a result of the extensive advocacy and dissemination in the country of the MHLAP initiatives, which considers a minimum budgetary allotment for the mental health program in Liberia.
Mrs. Thomas added that the MHLAP program over the years has provided some useful training for staff, employees and health delivery professionals that had in turn made genuine impacts on the lives and mental wellbeing of patients and caregivers in the country.
Besides, Mrs. Thomas disclosed that a result of the several external trainings held for Liberians and other members in some English speaking countries at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria, the MHLAP program continues to make progress in the country.
The MHLAP Country Facilitator noted that though the mental health advocacy is about to come to an end, a program and efforts are being harnessed to initiate another initiative called Liberia Coalition for Mental Health.
She however, urged health stakeholders and Liberians to consider as critical the issues of mental health as one of the nation major health priority as mental illness is not a personal failure.
Though there are still gaps in term of responding to patients care and support, Mrs. Thomas said good progress has been made and should claim the attention of the Liberian Government, in order to ensure sustained support to the mental program of the country.
In closing, Mrs. Thomas extended special thanks and appreciation to the University of Ibadan, Australian Government, World Health Organization and other critical support partners that continue to buttress the efforts of the MHLAP in the West African subregion.
“I also want candidly state that medication and the level attention being to mental health patients have greatly climbed the ladder of progress and impact,” Mrs. Thomas asserted.
Earlier, the Country Facilitator of the MHLAP of Nigeria Professor Woye Fadahunsi of the University of Ibadan provided critical synopsis of the various mental health initiatives in Liberia, Nigeria, The Gambia, Sierra Leone and Ghana.
Professor Fadahunsi told the gathering that work done various mental health initiatives in the various countries has made some significant impacts on mental health patients and urged policy makers to continue support to such a vital health programs in their respective countries.
In remarks, Dr. Joseph Quay of the Ministry of Health in Liberia thanked the MHLAP for the training opportunities provided Liberian health and non-health professionals that had led to some useful progress in the mental health delivery system of the country.
Dr. Quay however underscored the need for those trained in the organized MHLAP program to make their work visible and practical which could in turn help mental patients and caregivers realize their contributions to the overall mental health delivery system of the country.
Other speakers at the occasion were personnel of the E.S. Grant Mental Health Hospital who lauded the MHLAP program for its numerous contributions to the overall mental health delivery system of the country.
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