By Gilbert Akampa Kakurugu and Leonard Kamugisha Akida,
MBARARA
Dr Badru Kayongo a psychiatrist at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital has confirmed that the hospital record over 500 cases of mental illnesses per month.
“The 500 per month cases includes even some old clients who are on chronic care follow ups in the monthly mental health clinics and some are new cases,” Dr Kayongo explained.
He made a revelation on Tuesday during celebrations to mark the World Mental Health Day at Mbarara hospital under the theme; “Mental Health is a fundamental right for everybody”.
According to the Psychiatrist, Isingiro and Sheema districts top districts with more cases of mental health problems in Southwest Uganda.
He also called for training and recruitment of more psychiatric doctors to attend to soaring cases of mental and psychiatric cases in the country.
Mental health illnesses include: stress, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), epilepsy and psychosis etc. Signs and symptoms can range from quick mood changes and lack of sleep to suicidal thoughts and seizures. Uganda currently has only 42 trained psychiatric doctors and one Specialized psychiatric hospital – Butabika hospital.
The hospital in charge Dr. Celestine Barigye says mental health disorders can be prevented and urged the public to regard mental health as an important aspect of their general health.
He further appealed to the government to increase on funding for mental health and other psychiatric care services in the country.
Mental health currently takes up just less than 1 percent of the total budget allocated to the Ministry of Health. But, Barigye says this budget is not enough to facilitate health workers and procurement of drugs. He said the hospital has recorded series of successes in managing mental health cases despite inadequate staff and insufficient drugs to treat mental health patients.
Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital has three professional psychiatrists and only four psychiatry clinical officers which explains inadequate manpower at the hospital.
