26 Jun 2024

There is a need for professionals to address mental health issues with urgency because they affect/impact all aspects of quality life and well-being of communities, National Aids and Health Promotion Agency (NAHPA) deputy national coordinator, Mr Batlhalefi Leagajang has said.

Mental health, he said was just critical as physical health hence government’s commitment to addressing it with the urgency it required and believed that where there was collaboration a more supportive environment for mental health, that promoted healing and resilience could be created.

Officiating at the first international mental health conference held in Maun under the theme: Debrief, Decompress and Detox, on Monday, Mr Leagajang said mental health disorders were a major category of non-communicable disease (NCDs) that affected millions worldwide.

Unlike infectious diseases, mental health issues, he said could not be spread from person to person but could significantly impact individuals and communities if left unaddressed.

He said mental health issues affected one’s quality of life, productivity, overall well-being and people around the affected, noting that there had been an increase on mental health issues especially in the workplace.

“This is why we support the Botswana Business Coalition which falls under Business Botswana to support, coordinate workplace wellness.
Issues of mental health exist in the workplace and we call upon the private sector to pay more attention to this and come up with robust wellness programmes that will address mental health issues among other wellness issues,” he added.

Mr Leagajang further noted that NAHPA, had taken a decisive action to equip Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) such as Just Hope Foundation (JHF), with necessary resources to provide free mental health services to the public.

The goal, he said was to ensure that everyone regardless of their socio-economic and demographic status, had access to the support and care they needed, citing that

NAHPA offered training, funding and strategic support to CSOs, enabling them to deliver effective mental health interventions, prevention and support systems at the grassroot level.

He said NAHPA started funding JHF in 2022 and was impressed with feedback about the organisation even though the financial support they were getting was inadequate.

Mr Leagajang commended JHF for organising the conference that embraced the President’s call for mindset change’.

The conference attracted professionals, helpers and healers as well as the champions in the mental health, and was acknowledged as an endeavor to equip all with the tools, knowledge and strategies needed to better serve communities.

The gathering learnt that though government was committed to waging a spirited fight against HIV and NCDs, financial resources remained a challenge.

“We have seen a significant cut in the budget allocated to NAHPA which in turn is shared among the implementing partners. Reduced budget affects all sectors of the economy and does not in anyway reflect lack of appreciation on NCD response.

“Botswana is among top countries in the world whose government is committed to finding HIV and NCD response as well as improve the health of the nation,” he highlighted.

Therefore, Mr Leagajang said it was important for all to embark on a robust resource mobilisation in order to augment funds from government and even help them stand on their own.

Outlining the objectives of the conference, JHF founder, Dr Hope Msimanga said professionals needed to debrief, decompress and detox to build mentally healthy communities citing that at times some of their clients’ pains touched their own lives hence they needed to get rid of the pain they absorbed from clients.

He said the conference also aimed to give them a platform to network, collaborate for more effective services, and collaborate for future research work to inform the practice. ENDS