Hmm,
I have been away from this blog for so long that I really don't know where to start again.It is not as if I don't have things to say,but I guess I have been so disappointed in the happenings around me that I lost interest in writing on this blog.So what do we call that?Loss of interest in previous pleasurable activities?Talk about being depressed!
Really if one thinks of it,there are a thousand and one thing that can make one depressed in this country called Nigeria.From the things one reads on the pages of the newspapers and the interplay of such in ones personal life.Take for example,the recent resignation of the elsewhile minister of Health,Prof Adenike Grange who until her appointment as the minister of health was an erudite professor of Peadiatrics at the University of Lagos with many awards both local and international to her credit.However,she was swallowed up in the murky waters of the public life and the whimps and caprises of the ministry officials who are used to doing in a particular way called 'business as usual'.She was accused of not returning unused money in the last budgetary year in her ministry.Such was said to have been shared by top ministry officials.
So how does all these concern me or better still,what is the relevance to a blog like this.The answer is simple though it may not be obvious.
The recent events that led to a strike action by the Association of Resident Doctors,JUTH chapter can be traced back to the lackaidaisical attitude of public officials both in the Federal ministry of Health and the Budget office.It is no more news that the Federal Government approved of a new salary scale called Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Salary Scale(CONTISS) brought out in January 2007.This generated a lot of protests and led to an addendum in March of the same year.However,upon the actual implimentation,the March addendum which was more favourable was ignored,an error which the Budget Office owed up to.However,one wonders what was the involvement of the Federal ministry of Health with the recent revelation of their corrupt practices.Moreover,if one even assumes that the mistake was geniuine without any maliciuos intent,it still speaks volume of the people at the helms of affairs who are supposed to have the welfare of the citizenry as their official duties and who are directly responsible for the implimentations of the welfare packages of government to her citizens.What is even more disturbing is the difficulty in getting appropriate authorities to listen to this injustice and getting such redressed!
With all the above,one is gradually losing faith in this society in which young professionals are not valued and are left frustrated by the insensitivities of the leadership.Let me say that a greater majority of medical doctors in Nigeria if given a second chance would not read medicine.They feel unappreciated,disrespected and violated.The medical doctor is assumed to be respested but has become the object of scorn given the lack of adequate renumeration!
Morales are at an all time low,most especially in my centre JUTH.Despite the fact that revelations of where the problem came was discovered,and promises were made to address the situation,we are still waiting for such as the problem is no more local but at the centre.i.e the Budget Office in Abuja!
Being a psychiatrist in training and knowing fully well that health is not just the absence of disease,but a state of complete physical,social and mental well being,one can comfortably say that we are not in a state of health.We are not socially and mentally well as it were!How then can one give his best in service delivery?How can a doctor who is not mentally well help others who are not physicallt well?It is high time our policy makers and leaders see thing wholistically rather than parocially.This will help them to improve the quality of life of the people and ensure whole health.
Being that as it may,the onous lies on every body to ensure his own well being in the face of adversities.On must ensure that his cognitive process is always on the positive note,otherwise one may lose his mind and fail to attain to his God-given potentials.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Happy New Year?
Happy new year? You will ask.Well it is better late than never!
It is a new year,a new beginning and a time for new possibilities.
For the fact that my internet connection had been having problem for some time,and coupled with the festivity period,my birthday and Ist wedding anniversary in January,short pay in the implimentation of a new salary structure(CONTISS)which led to a drastic drop in my morale generally;I was not able to publish any post since Dec 4th,2007.
However,it is a new year,a new dawn and a time to shake away all lethargy,lukewarmness and break out like a new day.
There are a couple of activities that are likely to take place this year,both on a personal level for me and at the level of the stakeholders in the management of Mental health generally in Nigeria.As much as possible I will not relent in my effort to educate on mental health and advocate for mental health on this blog.One only hope that the efforts made by few individuals towards improving mental health awareness and to improve that overall level of mental health care can receive a boost by the appropriate authorities who should ochestrate a concerted effort to advance the cause.
Further more,one hopes that the mental health bill will be passed into law by the national assembly so that some of the old unpracticable laws will be changed into something more practicable and humane for the benefit of the mentally ill.
It is a new year,a new beginning and a time for new possibilities.
For the fact that my internet connection had been having problem for some time,and coupled with the festivity period,my birthday and Ist wedding anniversary in January,short pay in the implimentation of a new salary structure(CONTISS)which led to a drastic drop in my morale generally;I was not able to publish any post since Dec 4th,2007.
However,it is a new year,a new dawn and a time to shake away all lethargy,lukewarmness and break out like a new day.
There are a couple of activities that are likely to take place this year,both on a personal level for me and at the level of the stakeholders in the management of Mental health generally in Nigeria.As much as possible I will not relent in my effort to educate on mental health and advocate for mental health on this blog.One only hope that the efforts made by few individuals towards improving mental health awareness and to improve that overall level of mental health care can receive a boost by the appropriate authorities who should ochestrate a concerted effort to advance the cause.
Further more,one hopes that the mental health bill will be passed into law by the national assembly so that some of the old unpracticable laws will be changed into something more practicable and humane for the benefit of the mentally ill.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
World Disability Day;The mental health perspective.
Yesterday was the world Disability day,officially known as the International day for Disabled persons.It was set aside by the United Nations to promote awareness about the plight of disabled persons with the aim of improving their quality of life.
Disability has been described as any restriction or lack(resulting from an impairment)of ability to perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for an individual in his/her sociocultural setting.Impairment on the other hand is any loss or abnormality that of psychological,physiological or anatomical sructure or function,while an handicap is a disadvantage for a given individual,resulting from an impairment or a disability,that limits or prevents the fulfilment of a role that is normal(depending on age,sex and social and culural factors)for that individual.
From the foregoing,it is obvious that mentally illness leaves a lot of people with with impairments,disabilities and handicaps.It will therefore be a great mistake to just focus on on anatomical or even physiological impairment and resulting disability or handicap without given much attention to psychologigal ones.
In the area of mental health,most expecially when using the ICD-10 multiaxial system,the specific areas of functioning that are covered include;Personal care,occupation,family and household,functioning in a broader social context.
Let us expatiate a little on each one.
1.In the area of personal care,the following should be considered in the rating of disbility;
i)the person's activities concerned with the maintenance of personal hygiene and physical health(e.g washing,shaving,keeping clothes clean etc)
ii)eating habits(e.g regular meals,weight loss or gain etc)
iii)the person's maintenance of personal belongings and living space.
2.Occupation,refering to expected functioning in paid activities,studying,home-making,etc.
i)the person's conformity to the work discipline,
ii)the quality of his/her performance at work,
iii)his/her motivation in maintaining the occupational role.
3.Family and household;i.e participation in family life.
a.marital role
i)the person's communication with his/her spouse
ii)ability to show affection,
iii)the extent to which the person is felt by the spouse to be a source of support.
b.parental role
i)the basic tasks and activities undertaken by the person to ensure the health and security of the children,
ii)the closeness of their relationship and the depth of affection for and interest shown in the children's well-being and future,
iii)any abuse of the parental role or possibility of adverse effect on the children.
c.participation in household activities
i)the functions and duties of the person in maintaining the family as a viable social group;
ii)the manner in which the person carries out his/her roles in the family(e.g spouse father/mother,child)
4.Functioning in a broader social context;i.e in relation to community members,performance in leisure activities and other social activities.
i)response to the questions,requests and demands of people outside the household;
ii)readiness for coexistence on an 'impersonal' level(e.g colleagues,poeple in the bus or shops,etc)
iii)the person's manner with people outside the household whom he/she dislikes;
iv)the qulity and amount of contact with friends and non-household members;
v)the person's engagement in leisure activities outside the household.
From the above,it is clear that the extent of disability suffered by mentally ill individual could be enormous and it cuts across all the different facets of their lives.Efforts must be made therefore,to improve their quality of life and ensure that they are not neglected in the scheme of things.
Below are links of some WHO documents on disability.
http://www.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA58/WHA58_23-en.pdf
http://www.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA58/A58_17-en.pdf
Disability has been described as any restriction or lack(resulting from an impairment)of ability to perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for an individual in his/her sociocultural setting.Impairment on the other hand is any loss or abnormality that of psychological,physiological or anatomical sructure or function,while an handicap is a disadvantage for a given individual,resulting from an impairment or a disability,that limits or prevents the fulfilment of a role that is normal(depending on age,sex and social and culural factors)for that individual.
From the foregoing,it is obvious that mentally illness leaves a lot of people with with impairments,disabilities and handicaps.It will therefore be a great mistake to just focus on on anatomical or even physiological impairment and resulting disability or handicap without given much attention to psychologigal ones.
In the area of mental health,most expecially when using the ICD-10 multiaxial system,the specific areas of functioning that are covered include;Personal care,occupation,family and household,functioning in a broader social context.
Let us expatiate a little on each one.
1.In the area of personal care,the following should be considered in the rating of disbility;
i)the person's activities concerned with the maintenance of personal hygiene and physical health(e.g washing,shaving,keeping clothes clean etc)
ii)eating habits(e.g regular meals,weight loss or gain etc)
iii)the person's maintenance of personal belongings and living space.
2.Occupation,refering to expected functioning in paid activities,studying,home-making,etc.
i)the person's conformity to the work discipline,
ii)the quality of his/her performance at work,
iii)his/her motivation in maintaining the occupational role.
3.Family and household;i.e participation in family life.
a.marital role
i)the person's communication with his/her spouse
ii)ability to show affection,
iii)the extent to which the person is felt by the spouse to be a source of support.
b.parental role
i)the basic tasks and activities undertaken by the person to ensure the health and security of the children,
ii)the closeness of their relationship and the depth of affection for and interest shown in the children's well-being and future,
iii)any abuse of the parental role or possibility of adverse effect on the children.
c.participation in household activities
i)the functions and duties of the person in maintaining the family as a viable social group;
ii)the manner in which the person carries out his/her roles in the family(e.g spouse father/mother,child)
4.Functioning in a broader social context;i.e in relation to community members,performance in leisure activities and other social activities.
i)response to the questions,requests and demands of people outside the household;
ii)readiness for coexistence on an 'impersonal' level(e.g colleagues,poeple in the bus or shops,etc)
iii)the person's manner with people outside the household whom he/she dislikes;
iv)the qulity and amount of contact with friends and non-household members;
v)the person's engagement in leisure activities outside the household.
From the above,it is clear that the extent of disability suffered by mentally ill individual could be enormous and it cuts across all the different facets of their lives.Efforts must be made therefore,to improve their quality of life and ensure that they are not neglected in the scheme of things.
Below are links of some WHO documents on disability.
http://www.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA58/WHA58_23-en.pdf
http://www.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA58/A58_17-en.pdf
Thursday, November 29, 2007
APN 38th Annual Scientific And General Meeting;Organization of Mental Health Services in Nigeria
The Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria(APN)held her 38th Annual Scientific And General Meeting recently at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital(LASUTH) with the above theme.The meeting was graced by seasoned Psychiatrists in Nigeria.It was another time more or less, to take stock of the state of affairs as it affects Psychiatric services and practice in Nigeria.
The Chief Medical Director of the host hospital, Dr Femi Olugbile delivered a paper with the theme as the topic i.e 'Organization of Mental Health Services in Nigeria.In his lecture,he commented on the need to boost the knowledge and skills of General practioners and family physicians as an important and first step towards bringing appropriate and effective treatment closer to Ngerian on Psychiatric problems.He further advocated the grouping of Mental illnesses as special category of sickness with a bid to facilitate the provision of free treatment for these category of patients.
Other very important highlights of his lecture include the fact that 1 in 5 roadside destitutes in Nigeria is due to psychosis or drug abuse.Furthermore,he shed light on the fact that the global burden of mental illnesses is such that it is near the top of list of global burden of diseases.Depression particularly causes more Disability Adjusted Life Years(DALYs) than most other illnesses known to man.He further declared that only 1 in 100 of Nigerians needing Psychiatric treatment seek for it in Nigeria.This is a feeler of the extent of awareness of mental illnesses and availability of Psychiatric services in Nigeria.Finally,it was pointed out that though psychotic cases tend to be very dramatic,the vaste majority of psychiatric cases tend to be subtle and invisible or unnoticeable.
It is hoped that the knowledge gained in this meeting is not going to be just for the sake of it,but is going to translate into the much needed education of the general populace about mental illnesses,as well as the organization of strong mental health advocacy groups.
The Chief Medical Director of the host hospital, Dr Femi Olugbile delivered a paper with the theme as the topic i.e 'Organization of Mental Health Services in Nigeria.In his lecture,he commented on the need to boost the knowledge and skills of General practioners and family physicians as an important and first step towards bringing appropriate and effective treatment closer to Ngerian on Psychiatric problems.He further advocated the grouping of Mental illnesses as special category of sickness with a bid to facilitate the provision of free treatment for these category of patients.
Other very important highlights of his lecture include the fact that 1 in 5 roadside destitutes in Nigeria is due to psychosis or drug abuse.Furthermore,he shed light on the fact that the global burden of mental illnesses is such that it is near the top of list of global burden of diseases.Depression particularly causes more Disability Adjusted Life Years(DALYs) than most other illnesses known to man.He further declared that only 1 in 100 of Nigerians needing Psychiatric treatment seek for it in Nigeria.This is a feeler of the extent of awareness of mental illnesses and availability of Psychiatric services in Nigeria.Finally,it was pointed out that though psychotic cases tend to be very dramatic,the vaste majority of psychiatric cases tend to be subtle and invisible or unnoticeable.
It is hoped that the knowledge gained in this meeting is not going to be just for the sake of it,but is going to translate into the much needed education of the general populace about mental illnesses,as well as the organization of strong mental health advocacy groups.
Good Samaritan Rehabilitation Home;an update.
I had earlier posted that the government of Plateau state is closing down the above named centre.I also asked what will happen to those patients in the place after the closure.Well the good news is that the state government is making effort to ensure that there is a ward for these folks at the Vom Christian Hospital where they are going to be managed for a period of about three months with all expenses of managing them being borne by the state government.It is hoped that by the end of this period,a good number of them would have made remarkable improvement as to be able to recollect their homes and relatives and effort will then be made to reunite them with their people.
You must agree with me that this is really nice on the part of the government.It shows a lot of commitment to service and the overall well-being and health of the people.However,after the expertion of these three month period,what happens.Although I have never been to the Good Samaritan Rehabilitation Home,but I believe(from what I heard about the story of that place)that it could still be put at better use by the government if only they will re-organize the place and run it in collaboration with the department of Psychiatry,Jos University Teaching Hospital.Surely the state government can also help in that regard to boost up Mental Health facilities and services present in the state given the overstretched nature of the facilities in JUTH.
So,while I commend the government of Plateau state for this decision in the short term,I am appealing for a long term decision of establishing a Rehabilitation Centre in the State and further boost up Psychiatry facilites in the state.
You must agree with me that this is really nice on the part of the government.It shows a lot of commitment to service and the overall well-being and health of the people.However,after the expertion of these three month period,what happens.Although I have never been to the Good Samaritan Rehabilitation Home,but I believe(from what I heard about the story of that place)that it could still be put at better use by the government if only they will re-organize the place and run it in collaboration with the department of Psychiatry,Jos University Teaching Hospital.Surely the state government can also help in that regard to boost up Mental Health facilities and services present in the state given the overstretched nature of the facilities in JUTH.
So,while I commend the government of Plateau state for this decision in the short term,I am appealing for a long term decision of establishing a Rehabilitation Centre in the State and further boost up Psychiatry facilites in the state.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)