Health

Open Letter To Health Minister, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate On Nigeria’s Mental Health Crisis, By Halima Layeni

Published

2 years ago

April 24, 2024

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According to Halima Layeni, less than 10% of mentally ill Nigerians have access to the care they need. This is not just a statistic; it is a damning indictment of our collective failure to prioritize mental health as a fundamental aspect of overall well-being.

Dear Honorable Minister for Health,

I pen this letter to you with a heavy heart, but also with a fervent hope for change. As the Minister for Health and Social Welfare, you shoulder the immense responsibility of safeguarding the well-being of every Nigerian. Yet, amidst the myriad challenges we face as a nation, one issue stands out as a glaring indictment of our collective failure: the state of mental health care in Nigeria.

In a country of over 200 million people, we have fewer than 150 psychiatrists. Let that sobering fact sink in. Less than 150 specialists are tasked with addressing the mental health needs of a population grappling with the stresses of modern life, compounded by poverty, conflict, and inequality.

According to the WHO, less than 10% of mentally ill Nigerians have access to the care they need. This is not just a statistic; it is a damning indictment of our collective failure to prioritize mental health as a fundamental aspect of overall well-being.

To put this into perspective, let us compare our situation to that of other nations: In the United States, there are approximately 28,000 psychiatrists serving a population of 330 million people. In the United Kingdom, there are 12,300 psychiatrists for a population of 68 million. The disparity is stark, and it is unacceptable.

Numbers alone do not tell the full story. We must also confront the systemic issues that have hampered our efforts to provide adequate mental health care.

First and foremost, we must address the chronic underfunding of mental health services. Year after year, mental health budgets languish at the bottom of the priority list, starved of the resources they need to function effectively. This must change. We cannot hope to build a healthy, prosperous society without investing in the mental well-being of our citizens.

Equally pressing is the issue of inadequate facilities and infrastructure. Too often, those in need of mental health care are forced to travel long distances to access overstretched hospitals and clinics, only to find that essential medications and treatments are in short supply. We must invest in the expansion and modernization of our mental health infrastructure, ensuring that care is accessible to all who need it.

But perhaps most damning of all is the failure to implement existing laws and policies designed to protect the rights of individuals with mental health conditions. Our National Mental Health Policy, enacted in 2013, lays out a comprehensive framework for promoting mental health and ensuring access to quality care. Yet, too often, these lofty aspirations remain unrealized.

We cannot ignore the issue of men’s mental health. Traditional gender norms dictate that men should be stoic and strong, leading many to suffer in silence rather than seek help for their mental health issues. We must work to dismantle these harmful stereotypes and create a culture where men feel comfortable seeking support when they need it most.

As Minister for Health and Social Welfare, you have the power to effect change. You have the opportunity to reshape our nation’s approach to mental health care, to tear down the barriers that have long stood in the way of progress. But you cannot do it alone.

I call upon you to marshal the resources of your ministry, to rally support from across the government and civil society, and to lead by example in the fight for mental health equity. Together, we can build a future where every Nigerian has access to the care and support they need to thrive—a future where mental health is not just an afterthought, but a fundamental pillar of our national identity.

The time for action is now. The stakes could not be higher. Let us rise to the challenge, and in doing so, create a brighter, healthier future for all Nigerians.

Halima Layeni

Founder & Executive Director

Life After Abuse Foundation

Related Topics:Featured Halima Layeni Min of Health Open Letter

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Health

WHO: United States membership withdrawal takes effect

Reacting to the development, WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, expressed regret over the decision and urged the United States to reconsider.

Published

2 weeks ago

January 23, 2026

OCHEFA

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The United States’ withdrawal from the World Health Organisation (WHO) officially took effect on Thursday, exactly one year after President Donald Trump ordered the country to pull out of the global health body.

Under the terms governing WHO membership, a withdrawal becomes effective after a mandatory one-year notice period, which expired on Thursday 22 January, following the executive order signed by Trump shortly after he took office in 2025.

Although the agreement requires the United States to settle all outstanding financial obligations before withdrawal, that condition has not been met. However, the WHO has no legal mechanism to enforce payment or prevent a member state from exiting the organisation.

Reacting to the development, WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, expressed regret over the decision and urged the United States to reconsider.

“The withdrawal is a loss for the United States and also a loss for the rest of the world,” Tedros said, adding that the organisation remains open to the country’s return.

President Trump had justified the decision by accusing the WHO of mishandling the COVID-19 pandemic, which originated in Wuhan, China, as well as other global health emergencies.

He also cited the organisation’s alleged failure to implement necessary reforms and its inability to operate independently of political influence from member states.

Health

Obasanjo to champion Nigeria’s newborns health as 800 die Everyday

Speaking at a press conference in Abeokuta, Ogun State, ahead of the 57th Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference of the association, Ekure lamented about Nigeria’s worsening child health indicators, warning that vaccine-preventable diseases, malnutrition and rising newborn deaths continue to claim thousands of young lives daily.

Published

2 weeks ago

January 20, 2026

OCHEFA

81 Views

Image credit: Meta AI

The Paediatric Association of Nigeria (PAN) says that former President , Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has accepted to be an advocate for children’s nutrition and healthcare in an efforts to reduce the high deaths rate amongst them.

“More than 800 Nigerian families lose a newborn everyday, despite the fact that most of the deaths are preventable,” said the PAN President, Dr Ekanem Ekure.

While visited former President Olusegun Obasanjo at his residential house in OOPL, the association demanded that he should an advocate for children’s nutrition. A tasked he greatly accepted.

He pledged to be an advocate of child healthcare and utilize his strength even though he doesn’t have children at hand anymore.

Ekure said Nigeria remained off track in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG-3), particularly in the areas of neonatal and under-five survival, describing the situation as a national emergency requiring urgent political, financial and technological intervention.

According to her, about 50 percent of child deaths in Nigeria are worsened by malnutrition, noting that poorly nourished children are far more likely to die from infections than healthy ones.

Ekure blamed vaccine hesitancy, misinformation, poverty, insecurity and weak health financing for Nigeria’s high burden of preventable child deaths, warning that the resurgence of diseases such as measles in some parts of the country mirrored global trends where immunisation rates have fallen.

Health

Money-for-marks scandal rocks Rivers State medical college

Oreh said, “The Rivers State Ministry of Health, and indeed the Rivers State Government, have zero tolerance for corruption in any shape or form.”

Published

3 weeks ago

January 13, 2026

OCHEFA

84 Views

• Rivers State’s Commissioner for Health, Dr Adaeze Oreh

The Rivers State Government has ordered a full-scale investigation into allegations of extortion, including money-for-marks and the sale of examination papers, at the State College of Medical Sciences in Port Harcourt.

The State’s Commissioner for Health, Dr Adaeze Oreh, disclosed that following the allegations, the government has suspended the head of one of the departments linked to the alleged offences, although the specific department was not disclosed.

She also announced that a committee chaired by the Chief Medical Director of the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital had been constituted to thoroughly investigate the allegations.

Oreh said that the action followed a series of complaints against the institution, which also included allegations of students being compelled to pay for the approval of project topics.

Oreh said, “The Rivers State Ministry of Health, and indeed the Rivers State Government, have zero tolerance for corruption in any shape or form.”