President of the Association of Psychiatrists of Nigeria (APN), Mr. Taiwo Obindo, predicts promising results in the mental health subsector in 2024.
Obindo, also a consultant psychiatrist, said Tuesday in Lagos that 2023 ended with many introductions and road maps, which, if followed up and implemented, would yield positive reports in 2024.
According to the psychiatrist, signing the Mental Health Bill into Law by the federal government is the greatest thing that happened to the industry in 2023.
President Muhammadu Buhari, in January 2023, signed the Mental Health Bill into law after two failed attempts at overhaul in 2003 and 2013.
The bill, harmonised by the Senate and House of Representatives in 2021, is the first legislative reform adopted since the country’s independence and will also replace the Lunacy Act of 1958.
He expressed optimism that the act if implemented would create a better platform to address mental health challenges in the country.
Obindo identified the passage and acceptance of the mental health policy by the National Committee on Health as another remarkable achievement in the industry in 2023.
He added that another notable progress made in the year under review (2023) was the establishment of the road maps toward decriminalising suicide in Nigeria.
According to Obindo, the mental health subsector anticipated that these significant policy directives would be implemented in terms of verifiable metrics. He added that if they were followed and appropriately executed, it would significantly improve the state of the mental health industry in Nigeria.
