In his Labour Day speech, President William Ruto intimated at incorporation of community health promoters to help in early diagnosis of common ailments, ensuring timely treatment of diseases that could have become deadly. This will go a long way to ensure a healthy population, hence a strong workforce.
This is happening at a time when there is a raging debate on the mental health status of many employees and the public in general.
Teachers have been accused of callously handling their learners, putting to question their mental health status. Parents have fatally assaulted their children. Recently, a 24-year-old woman reportedly killed her child and ate her body parts.
The media has been awash with innumerable cases of jilted lovers killing their loved ones, with suicide cases also on the rise.
Whenever such cases are reported, many wonder why the perpetrators (whose deeds could be a result of mental disturbance) never sought mental health support but resorted to such heinousness.
There is an urgent need to make mental health services widely affordable and accessible. Those who have ever sought professional mental health services will concur that it is quite prohibitive.
Be it psychotherapy, prescription medicine, brain stimulation therapy or eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, not every other Kenyan can afford it.
The NHIF website lists a mental and behavioural health benefit package covering common disorders like neurological, childhood disorders and drug and substance abuse. But few NHIF-approved hospitals offer them, and only in Nairobi, urban Kajiado, Murang’a and Kiambu.
The government ought to designate a department in every sub-county hospital where mental health patients can access professional assistance using the NHIF card.
In the meantime, let every employee find a hobby or indulgence for which to spend quality time to help unwind after work. Burnout will be minimised, with continued rejuvenation of the body and mind. BY DAILY NATION