Providing Sustainable Mental and Neurological Health Care in Ghana and Kenya Workshop Summary (2016) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
5 Perspectives on Potential Next Steps
5 Perspectives on Potential Next Steps
Pages 63-70
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From page 63... ...
OVERARCHING CONCEPTS IDENTIFIED BY INDIVIDUAL PARTICIPANTS Integrating Mental Health Care into the Primary Care System Many participants repeatedly cautioned that any mental health project must not create a "parallel system," but be integrated into the general health system. They added that this would efficiently capitalize on available resources, improve patient access to care and treatment, and reduce stigma, both among the community and among health workers.
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From page 64... ...
One participant at the Kenya workshop stated, "Mental health is part of health" and should be treated in that manner. Aligning Mental Health Care Efforts with Existing Priorities Governments, NGOs, and funders manage competing priorities, limited resources, and pressing health needs.
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From page 65... ...
Considering the Mental Health Care System in Its Entirety, Rather Than as Separate Components Although discussions at the workshops were divided into four distinct topics -- diagnosis and treatment, access to medicines, stigma, and health information systems -- it became clear to many participants that no one part of the system could be addressed without simultaneous efforts directed at the other parts. Franҫois Bompart, while discussing how to improve access to essential medicines, stated, "Access to medicines only makes sense if there is first access to diagnosis." Relatedly, if a project greatly improved the availability of diagnosis and treatment, but did not address stigma, participants noted that patients might not be willing or able to access the care that has been made available.
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From page 66... ...
In both Ghana and Kenya, there is a lack of available data about mental health care demand and services. Before undertaking an effort to improve the system, many partic ipants stated that baseline data must be collected to have a better understanding of, for example, the burden of MNS disorders; re sources currently available; how existing partnerships and key stakeholders engage; and the priorities of community members, stakeholders, and the government.
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From page 67... ...
Although several ideas were dis cussed to provide sustainable mental health care in Ghana and Kenya, many participants stressed that it will be important to fur ther extrapolate from these opportunities goals, strategies, objec tives, and tactics in order to be implemented and evaluated. In addition, several participants said key stakeholders and partners should be identified for each step.
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From page 68... ...
is dawning," as Akwasi Osei, acting chief executive officer of the Ghana Mental Health Authority, put it. Osei urged participants to move forward with optimism, rather than "the
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From page 69... ...
For political will and resources to materialize, Leshner added, mental health advocates must "continuously remind" policy makers and the public that "we know what we are doing … we do have treatments that work." Bompart concluded: "There is an opportunity now, today, to bring mental health … to the attention of political decision makers. The window of opportunity may be fairly narrow, so let's seize it."
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