Edo Women Affairs Ministry Backs Community Mental Health Initiative to Improve Care Delivery


By Elvis Omoregie, Benin 

The Edo State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hon. Eugenia Abdallah, has reaffirmed the state government's commitment to expanding access to quality mental healthcare through community-based interventions, as part of efforts to improve the wellbeing of vulnerable residents across the state.

Abdallah gave the assurance in Benin City while receiving the Provost of the College of Nursing Sciences, University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Mrs. Abieyuwa Eweka, alongside senior lecturers from Leeds Beckett University, United Kingdom, who paid her a courtesy visit to discuss a proposed partnership on Community Mental Health Nursing.

The commissioner described the initiative as timely and in line with the administration of Governor Senator Monday Okpebholo's commitment to strengthening mental health services and ensuring that people living with mental health conditions receive the care, support, and dignity they deserve.

She explained that the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development already operates a comprehensive intervention framework through which individuals with mental health challenges are identified, counselled, referred for treatment, and provided with psychosocial support before being reintegrated into their communities.
According to Abdallah

According to Abdallah, the ministry also empowers beneficiaries who have recovered by enrolling them in skills acquisition programmes to promote economic independence and successful reintegration into society.

She stressed that the ministry remains open to partnerships that enhance professional capacity and improve service delivery, noting that the proposed collaboration with UBTH and Leeds Beckett University would further strengthen Edo State's mental healthcare system.

Earlier, the Provost of the College of Nursing Sciences, UBTH, Mrs. Abieyuwa Eweka, said the proposed collaboration seeks to bridge existing gaps in Nigeria's mental healthcare system by introducing a Community Mental Health Nursing model that integrates mental health services with public health practice.

Also speaking, Senior Lecturer in Adult Nursing at Leeds Beckett University, Dr. Chinyere Ihejieto, proposed the establishment of a pilot team comprising Public Health Nurses and Mental Health Nurses to implement the initiative, with the university providing technical support, operational guidelines, and international best practices.

Other members of the Leeds Beckett University delegation, Caroline Key and Louisa Morley, said the programme would focus on prevention, early intervention, research, education, and community engagement to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness and improve access to care at the community level.

Both parties expressed confidence that the partnership would establish a sustainable community-based mental healthcare framework, strengthen professional capacity, and improve long-term outcomes for people living with mental health conditions across Edo State.

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