The World Health Organization has said that one out of every four Nigerians suffers from mental disease.
As the pandemic and insecurity continue to grip the country, which only has eight federal neuropsychiatric facilities, the figure could climb.
This is worrying as only 4.3% of the total budget was allocated for health in the country’s 2020 budget.
“In Nigeria, it is estimated that 20–30% of the population suffers from mental illnesses. Given Nigeria’s projected population of 200 million people, this is a substantial quantity”, WHO said.
In November, Health Minister Abdulaziz Abdullahi said, “Unfortunately, the attention paid to mental health diseases in Nigeria is insufficient.”
Dr Chris Ngige, Nigeria’s former Minister of Labour and Employment, declared in April that the country already had “more than enough” doctors.
Nigeria, on the other hand, has Africa’s biggest caseload of depression and ranks 15th in the world in terms of suicide rates, with just about 10% of mentally ill Nigerians having access to healthcare, according to WHO.
A poll conducted by the nonprofit organization, ‘Nigeria Health Watch’ in 2017, almost nine out of every ten doctors in Nigeria are looking for jobs outside of the nation in order to pursue better career and financial prospects.
As a result, Nigeria may only expect one doctor for every 4,000 to 5,000 patients, rather than the WHO-recommended one physician per 600 doctors.
As Nigeria’s population continues to grow, the country’s Health Watch advises keeping up with overall patient demand.