A bill for a law to establish the Oyo State Mental Health Service to provide for the protection, care and treatment of mentally distressed persons has been subjected to a public hearing.
The Oyo State Mental Health Bill, 2022, subject to the public hearing at the House of Chiefs, State Secretariat, Ibadan, as sponsored by the Speaker of the Assembly, Honourable Adebo Ogundoyin; deputy speaker, Honourable Abiodun Fadeyi; majority leader, Honourable Sanjo Adedoyin; minority leader, Honourable Asimiyu Alarape; chairman, house committee on health, Honourable Saminu Gbadamosi.
The bill attempts to establish mental health facilities and medical social work departments and units in all primary, secondary and tertiary medical facilities in the state.
It also aims to guarantee the protection of persons suffering from mental disorders or illness and substance abuse in the state.
In addition, the bill aims to ensure that a mentally distressed person has access to mental health care facilities in the state, just as it would guarantee that a person is received and admitted for treatment in a mental health facility.
The bill further provides that a mentally distressed person shall have the right to the highest attainable standard of mental health care in the state and be entitled to the same standard of care as a person with physical health problems and shall be treated on an equal basis.
Furthermore, the bill provides that the medical social workers in mental health facilities collaborate with mental health practitioners to improve patients’ health.
Upon passage of the bill into law, there will be the creation of the Oyo State Mental Service Steering Committee which shall coordinate mental health care activities in the state, provide mental health care services to voluntary and involuntary mentally distressed patients, protect the rights and responsibilities of mentally distressed persons, ensure and guarantee the fundamental human rights of mentally distressed persons against discrimination and stigmatization.
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Among others, the steering committee shall also maintain a state database on all mental health matters and cases of substance abuse, receive and investigate any matter referred to it by a patient or a relative of a patient concerning the treatment of the patient at a mental health facility, direct the discharge of a patient where it is satisfied that the patient is no longer suffering from a mental disorder or illness or that the mental disorder or illness is under control, advise the state on the state of mental health and mental health care facilities in the state and approve the establishment of mental health facilities and medical social works unit in all government health facilities in the state.
Tribune Online gathered that the committee will have as its members; the permanent secretary, ministry of health; the Chief medical director, Oyo State Teaching Hospital; the Chief Psychiatrist; counsellor; medical social worker; legal officer; representative of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria while the director of public health from the ministry of health shall the secretary of the committee.
The composition of the steering committee was the crux of contributions of stakeholders who attended the public hearing with much demanding inclusiveness and the expulsion of ambiguities in membership contained in the bill.
The various stakeholders described the bill as timely pointing to the deterioration of people’s mental health due to financial stress, and economic hardship in the country.
They asked that mental health facilities should be adequately staffed while pointing to the need for the bill to integrate into society rather than treat as outcasts those found attempting to commit suicide.
In his opening remarks, the chairman, House Committee on Health, Honourable Saminu Gbadamosi said the bill was brought up to guarantee the establishment of mental health facilities as well as ensure that the fundamental human rights of people with mental health challenges is assured.
Saminu said the bill holistically took care of the diagnosis, and treatment of mental health patients, just as it prescribes servicing, funding and protection of such persons.
