South Africa’s Department of Health says it is making progress in implementing the Mental Health Care Act of 2002, with the goal to integrate mental health care services into the general health care system.
“We are integrating mental health care services from community level up to general hospitals not just to improve access to services which is critical but also to break the stigma”. The health ministry Director for Mental Health care unit Dudu Shiba said.
The new model will allow ordinary South Africans to access therapy at their local clinics.
The Human Sciences Research Council 2020 report shows that 33% of South Africans are depressed, 45% are fearful, and 29% experience loneliness.
The mental health policy framework in South Africa is hailed as one of the most progressive among African countries, yet it lacks funding for implementation.
The World Health Organization issued a Mental Health Atlas that showed the South African government spends $10.5 (less than R200) per case reported.
The director of the mental health unit, Dudu Shiba, said that the government is not planning to fund common mental health illnesses separately, as the Department of Health’s yearly budget includes mental health care.
A WHO report indicates that the South African government’s total expenditure on mental health is 5%.
Psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, and mental health care organizations say the government’s approach to mental health care services is a concern. Only 50% of public hospitals offering mental health services have a psychiatrist, and about 30% lack a clinical psychologist.
There’s no time frame for when the Department of Health will fully integrate mental health care services into primary health care; however, the process seems to be underway.
