Only 1pc of Tanzanians estimated to suffer mental health disorders, govt

The actual number of Tanzanians with mental health disorders is unknown but it is estimated to be one per cent of the 50 million people.

This was revealed on Tuesday February 6 in Parliament by the Deputy Minister of Health, Community Development, Gender, the Elderly and Children, Dr Faustine Ndugulile.

He was responding to a question raised by MP for Morogoro South, Prosper Mbena, who sought to know why the government was letting people with mental health disorders wander in streets without giving them due attention.

Dr Ndugulile said most people could be mentally unhealthy, as per WHO's definition of Health- as the state of the physical, mental and social wellbeing-not mere absence of disease. 

However, he insisted   that the country's health system cannot establish everyone who is mentally ill but only relies on collecting data on those patients who report or are taken to mental health facilities.

"Only 48 percent of those who are mentally ill report to health facilities. 24 percent end up in the hands of traditional healers, the rest go to faith healers, and just a few are wandering on the streets," said Dr Ndugulile.

"There are professional ways of identifying those who are mentally I'll and keeping them in mental health facilities," he added, as he responded to the MP 

He said the government was only able to allocate mental health specialists up to regional hospital level and efforts were ongoing to extend the services to district level.

The Morogoro South MP, however, insisted on wanting to know why the government was not rehabilitating Mirembe Mental Health Hospital to provide quality services.

The deputy minister responded saying over Sh900 million has been set aside to improve the services at the facility and more efforts are ongoing to rehabilitate it.