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Mpumalanga had been reported as the only province without a specialised psychiatric hospital and had to refer people requiring this service to Gauteng.
This was announced by Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla, who was speaking on the first day of the mental health conference in Pretoria on Monday.
The two-day conference was convened by the health department in collaboration with the Foundation for Professional Development.
According to several authors and research findings, mental health had been identified as a key area of public health concern in South Africa and globally.
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“All provinces have at least one facility rendering services for people with dual diagnosis except Mpumalanga, as there is no specialised psychiatric hospital in this province. However, it is welcomed that Mpumalanga has plans to construct a specialised mental health hospital,” he said.
Phaahla stated while the department had grown the number of human resources available for mental health services, the equitable distribution of such resources needed attention.
He said:
He added another serious weakness was the absence in most provinces and at the national level of an information system that provided patient-level data that enabled seamless care, treatment and follow-ups for patients.
“South Africa is still facing a number of challenges in the area of mental health and the absence of data makes it impossible for the country to accurately state its mental health incidence and prevalence and leads to misleading interpretations.”
He said to effectively address the weaknesses, the department together with other provincial health departments was currently building on the strengths of the implementation of the 2013 to 2020 Mental Health Policy Framework and Strategy, through the implementation of the newly approved Mental Health Policy Framework and Strategy 2023 to 2030.
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Phaahla said through the implementation of the 2023 Policy Framework and Strategy, the department was going to develop and implement a national plan to raise awareness and educate the public on mental health with elements targeting issues of mental illness, encouraging self-agency, promoting healthy lifestyles and directing the public on where to go for help and treatment.
He added:
