Medical professionals have called on good spirited people to support the Nigerian government’s initiative against the misuse of hard drugs among the youth.
Speaking on the sidelines of a book launch written by the former Director of Administration, the professionals decried the alarming rate of drug misuse amongst Nigerian active youth population, warning that the situation poses threat to their productivity levels.
The Medical Director, Federal Neuro-Psychiatry Hospital, Yaba, Dr. Olugbenga Owoeye, highlighted the need to prioritize investment in initiatives aimed at promoting mental health services in the country.
He said the stigmatisation of mental illness is a dangerous challenge in Nigeria, maintaining that the hospital is creating awareness to mitigate the issue.
In his words, “This is what we are trying to achieve with the book launch. The book launch contains the evolution of mental health services in Nigeria and how to promote mental health in Nigeria
“If you look at the number of patients we admit nowadays, over 70 per cent of these patients are drug abuse related. This is what we are fighting against and here in Nigeria, we have various infrastructure to manage the mental health of those patients engaged in drugs. We are also promoting mental health in the area of preventing drug abuse,”
He stated that the challenges faced are quite enormous; such as infrastructure development, weak buildings, but acknowledged the efforts of the federal government to allocating resources for upgrade and renovation of the hospital.
Owoeye called on the organised private sector and non-governmental organisations for financial assistance to improve both infrastructure and manpower development in hospitals across the nation.
He also commended the efforts of the current head of the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), saying that this is why the country is currently experiencing a surge in seizures of hard drugs.
“We need to do more to sensitise these youths on the negative effects of taking hard drugs. We must as much as possible curb the influx of these drugs because many of these drugs are not made in Nigeria hence the need to beef up the operations of the officials at the nation’s points of entry.”
Also speaking, the former, Medical Director, Federal Neuro-Psychiatry Hospital Yaba, Dr. Oluwayemi Ogun, expressed worries over many doctors and nurses leaving the country in search of greener pastures, warning that the most of the hospitals across the country are overwhelmed.
On his part, the former Director of Administration, Federal Neuro-Psychiatry Hospital, Yaba, Sigismond Olayode Fernandez, commended organisations and individuals who have done so much for the upliftment of mental health care, while imploring other professionals in the health sector to align themselves with bodies set up to promote mental health care in the country.
“Things are getting better and the dedication and willingness to work is still there. Compared to the other institutions I have been to over the past 20 years since I left office, I think this hospital stands out.
“We need more efforts from government and we are lucky that this hospital has individuals that have doing a lot to help the federal government to promote mental health care in the country,” he said.
Comment here