According to the World Health Organization (WHO), every 40 seconds, someone in the world dies by suicide, and 77% of these deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, like Nigeria, which has the highest cases of depression in Africa and ranks as the 15th most suicide-prone country in the world. 

According to the Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria (APN, 2021), there are only about 250 psychiatrists in the country serving over 215 million people. There are also only eight federal neuro-psychiatric hospitals, which means most people have to travel long distances to access these services. This inadequacy in the capacity to meet demands leaves a significant number of help-seekers unable to access quality care to support their mental health needs.

The COVID-19 pandemic. the economic downturn and the ongoing insecurity in Nigeria put everyone at a high risk of worsening mental health. This can significantly negatively impact our quality of life, productivity, and peaceful co-existence. 

Nigeria has up to 30,000 primary healthcare centers and not up to 1% of them have the facilities to provide mental health support. We can leverage our existing systems in the primary healthcare system to improve access to mental health support for every Nigerian without barriers like financial implications, distance, and poor awareness. A study conducted by Anyebe et.al in 2019 in select PHCs across some states in Northern Nigeria showed that mental health services are at best scarce, poorly, and haphazardly rendered in a few places or completely absent in most centers visited. 

I, therefore, call on the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) of Nigeria to take these steps towards improving access to mental health care for all;

1. Train Primary healthcare workers as Lay counselors to provide basic mental health support to patients and make referrals for severe cases.
2. Set up mental health desks/stations in all PHCs across Nigeria.
3. Build the capacity of all PHCS medical doctors and nurses in mental health service provision.

To achieve Universal Health Coverage, Mental health must be made a priority. There is no health without mental health. And, I, a victim of the insurgency in Nigeria, and every other person who has experienced trauma in any form deserve to access mental health support. Access to quality mental healthcare is your fundamental human right. Help me sign this petition and improve your access to a fundamental human right.