Abstract
BackgroundThe Ugandan government recognizes mental health as a serious public health and development concern, and has of recent implemented a number of reforms aimed at strengthening the country's mental health system. The aim of this study was to provide a profile of the current mental health policy, legislation and services in Uganda.MethodsA survey was conducted of public sector mental health policy and legislation, and service resources and utilisation in Uganda, in the year 2005, using the World Health Organization's Assessment Instrument for Mental Health Systems (WHO-AIMS) Version 2.2.ResultsUganda's draft mental health policy encompasses many positive reforms, including decentralization and integration of mental health services into Primary Health Care (PHC). The mental health legislation is however outdated and offensive. Services are still significantly underfunded (with only 1% of the health expenditure going to mental health), and skewed towards urban areas. Per 100,000 population, there were 1.83 beds in mental hospitals, 1.4 beds in community based psychiatric inpatient units, and 0.42 beds in forensic facilities. The total personnel working in mental health facilities were 310 (1.13 per 100,000 population). Only 0.8% of the medical doctors and 4% of the nurses had specialized in psychiatry.ConclusionAlthough there have been important developments in Uganda's mental health policy and services, there remains a number of shortcomings, especially in terms of resources and service delivery. There is an urgent need for more research on the current burden of mental disorders and the functioning of mental health programs and services in Uganda.
Highlights
Uganda is a landlocked country located in East Africa with an approximate geographical area of 236,040 square kilometers, of which about 15.4% is covered by water
There is a need for stronger national leadership to finalize and enact the current draft mental health policy
The law should provide a legal framework for protecting the rights of the mentally ill, and addressing critical issues such as the community integration of persons with mental disorders, the provision of care of high quality, the improvement of access to care, the protection of civil rights and the protection and promotion of rights in other critical areas such as housing, education and employment [31]
Summary
Uganda is a landlocked country located in East Africa with an approximate geographical area of 236,040 square kilometers, of which about 15.4% is covered by water. As of 2006, the population of Uganda was estimated to be 27.4 million people, having increased from 24.2 million in 2002 at a growth rate of 3.3%. An estimated 12.3% of the population were living in the urban areas while 87.7% were living in the rural areas. The life expectancy at birth for males was 50.7 and 52.7 for females, while the literacy rate for men was 76% and 61% for women [1,2]. The aim of this study was to provide a profile of the current mental health policy, legislation and services in Uganda
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