Africa-Press – Gambia. The National Mental Health Program (NMHP), under the Ministry of Health and its Partners on Monday validated the newly developed Gambia’s mental health policy 2024.
The Gambia’s last mental health policy was validated in 2007 and became outdated.
Since then, stakeholders said significant strides have been made in understanding mental health needs and this updated policy reflects current challenges, evidence-based practices, and a commitment to equitable, integrated mental healthcare.
Mr Gibril Jarju, the Director of Planning and Information, said during the development of the mental health policy, there were a lot of consultations, and this was done for them to get firsthand information from the grassroots.
“The process was so consultative because we wanted the policy to reflect the current realities and challenges of the mental health situation in the Gambia,” he said.
Jarju said the policy is not a religious book, but for people to take ownership of the document, they need to be involved in the process of drafting it.
Hon Amadou Camara, the Chairman of the National Assembly Select Committee on Health, said mental health is everybody’s business, and it requires collective efforts to make sure that there is a policy for it.
“At the level of the National Assembly, we know that policy development is not our primary function, but notwithstanding that, we can take part in its development,” he said.
He attests that the beauty of the development of the mental health policy was that it was consultative.
Mr Yusupha Touray, the Permanent secretary at the Ministry of Health, said it is time for people to fight against the stigma attached to mental health.
“Supporting the establishment of regional mental healthcare centres at the regional level is key; therefore, we urge our partners to support us in that quest.
Anti-stigmatisation campaign is another thing that needs to be looked into as we strive towards building an inclusive healthcare system,” he said.
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