Lara Adejoro On January 5, 2023, former President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) signed the Mental Health Bill 2021 into law, replacing the outdated Lunacy Act of 1958. However, 16 months after, the Federal Government has yet to establish a Department of Mental Health Services in the Federal Ministry of Health, findings by Saturday PUNCH have shown.
The National Mental Health Act 2021 allows for the establishment of a Department of Mental Health Services in the Federal Ministry of Health, to propose national health policies and facilitate their approval and implementation. It also allows for the support of advanced mental health, provides healthcare services, and ensures humane care and rehabilitation in the most permissive setting. The bill also promotes culturally appropriate, affordable, and accessible mental health care.
Experts say without the establishment of the department, Nigeria is still operating under the Lunacy Act, as the aim of the Mental Health Act 2021 can only be achieved through effective implementation. Confirming the findings, the President of the Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria, Professor Taiwo Obindo, said the FMoH was meant to establish the department, adding that nothing had been done. He also said that the government had yet to establish the National Mental Health Fund.
Obindo added, “Though there was a roadmap that was outlined by the programme, nothing concrete had been done. The National Review Committee is meant to look after t.