By Abdul Malik Bangura
Dr. Abdul Jalloh, who is Sierra Leone’s Specialist Psychiatrist at the country’s only Psychiatric Hospital has on the 7th October 2020, during an exclusive interview, spoke about the importance of World Mental Health Day and further emphasized on the need for more investment in mental healthcare.
Mental Health Day is globally celebrated every year since 1992 on the 10 October. This year’s celebration has as its theme: “Mental Health for All: Greater Investment – Greater Access.”
Speaking on the relevance of the theme in line with happenings in Sierra Leone, Dr Jalloh first recalled that on Thursday 4 June 2020, His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio at\\during the commissioning of the renovated Sierra Leone Psychiatric Teaching Hospital Complex made a commitment that mental health intervention is within his Government’s overarching “human capital development priority.”
In the words of the President, “our country has been bludgeoned over the last three decades by traumatic event after traumatic event – from the bloody violence and chaos of the civil war, to catastrophic natural disasters like the mudslide and flooding, through the Ebola virus disease epidemic, and now the COVID-19 pandemic.” Hence, President Bio is quoted to have said “we recognize that as a nation, we must act now. We must invest heavily in mental healthcare.”
During the interview, Dr. Jalloh said previously there was complete neglect of investment on mental healthcare not only in Sierra Leone but also globally.
He said so far, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, has over the past two (2) years, with support from Partners In Health (PIH) made significant progress in face-lifting the Psychiatric Hospital in the country.
Dr. Jalloh said the Sierra Leone Psychiatric Teaching Hospital had undergone a lot of infrastructural transformation such as improving on its toilet facilities, renovated wards and equipping them with new beds and mattresses.
He further mentioned the current upgrading of lighting system, installation of fans for ventilation as well as plasma televisions in various wards.
The medical doctor confirmed that they now have a modernized lecture hall with a semi conference room and a library, a completed Laboratory, recreational centre (Occupational Therapy Unit) equipped with sewing machines, musical instruments, and various indoor games, basketball and hand tennis courts for members of staff and the patients.
However, whilst dilating on the need for more investment on mental healthcare in Sierra Leone, Dr. Abdul Jalloh said before now, investment in health care was minimal. He further stated that after the aforementioned visit of His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio, there had been a thirty-five (35%) increase in patients flow to the hospital.
Dr. Jalloh dilated on the effects of COVID 19 pandemic on mental healthcare in Sierra Leone. He said “in the event of an infectious disease outbreak, such as Coronavirus, people react differently to such stressful situations,” adding that “the channels of misinformation during an outbreak makes people feed on uncertainty, grow in doubt and then react in the form of individual or mass panic especially during adhering to instituted measures to limit and control the spread of the disease.”
Dr Jalloh furthered that social distancing, quarantine and isolation are measures used by the Government to break the chain of transmission maintaining how health issues relating to frontline workers must be in thorough consideration.
The specialist Psychiatrist spoke about the importance of World Mental Health Day. He said the general aim of the day since 1992 were to promote mental health advocacy and to educate the public on relevant mental healthcare issues.
He added that as the World Mental Health Day is celebrated globally on the 10 October; he is calling for more investments in mental health – a call which, he said, can no longer be ignored.
Dr. Jalloh concluded by stating that Sierra Leone would have had a very big celebration to mark the 200th year Anniversary of the Psychiatric Hospital in the country. He, however, lamented that due to the current COVID-19 pandemic such could not hold.
He said notwithstanding, he is calling on Sierra Leoneans to record a one (1) minute video of themselves or in a group in a physical exercise with a complementary message of calling for greater investment in Sierra Leone’s mental healthcare and post it to various social media platforms. This will serve as a way of commemorating the World Mental Health Day in the country.
Meanwhile, in her remarks before the celebration of World Mental Health Day, Dr Ingrid Daniels, President of WFMH says that, “now more than ever greater investment in mental health is needed to ensure that everyone, everywhere has access to mental health care. The under-investment in mental health has left large treatment gaps globally,” concluding that the “World Mental Health Day is simply not a one-day event and provides us with the opportunity and advantage to draw the attention of Government, donors, policy-makers and all stakeholders to ensure action for greater investment in mental health.
“Let us hold hands and unify our voices in moving the mental health investment agenda for increased focus and access to mental health and thereby making mental health a reality for all – everyone, everywhere,” she admonished.
