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Written by Roland Davis
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Monday, 20 August 2012 01:42 |
Former Minister of Health and Social Welfare (MoHSW), Dr. Peter Coleman, has expressed concerns about challenges facing mental health in Liberia. According to him, Liberia lacks basic services and implementations in dealing with issues of mental health, including facilities to keep patients.
Dr. Coleman disclosed that there are only two psychiatry homes in the country for people with mental illness, emphasizing that available facilities cannot serve half of mentally ill persons in Liberia. He stressed the need for additional facilities to be built for accommodation of patients of mental ill, through the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and humanitarian partners.
The Grand Kru County Junior Senator indicated that the issue of mental health problem in Liberia must be looked at very carefully because, as he noted, it does not only affect a specific person in society; especially in a post- war country like Liberia.
Speaking at the third graduation ceremony of Carter Center Ministry of Health and Social Welfare Post- Basic Mental Health Training Program, held at the Compound of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital in Monrovia over the weekend, the former health minister promised that in his capacity as member of the National Legislature on health matter, he would work along with his colleagues to ensure that both budgetary allotment and other measures are prioritized to tackle mental health problems.
Also speaking at the occasion, Health Minister Walter Gwenigale said promises were made during the second graduation of Carter Center Mental Health Program and most of them have not been implemented up to present.
He told the graduates that he will not make any promise that will not work out, but assured that he would work with all of his deputies and assistance ministers at the ministry to ensure that the issue of mental health problems in Liberia is better addressed .
At the same time, the Head of the Carter Center Mental Health Training Program in Liberia, Dr. Janice L. Cooper, has indicated that bringing the program to Liberia was a good idea which the Center has advanced.
Dr. Cooper said the idea is in a positive direction for the benefit of Liberians because, according to her, the country has returned from war, noting that many Liberians today suffer from mental problems assumed to be caused by the 14- year civil war.
She also used the opportunity to call on the Liberian Government to join other institutions including Cater Center in supporting the fight against mental health problems in the country. |
