Medscheme Mental Health Programme

Leandri Hattingh

doi:10.5334/ijic.3654

Abstract

Medscheme Mental Health Programme

Highlights

Roughly 30% of the South African population will suffer from a mental disorder in their lifetime (1)
The bulk of mental health care delivery in South Africa has historically been separated from general health care and centered on specialist care provided at psychiatric hospitals, with little attention to mental health care in the primary setting (3)
The lack of access to good quality ambulatory mental health care leads to complications, poorly controlled comorbidities, and costly hospitalisations, which increase the strain on health care funding resources

Summary

Introduction

30% of the South African population will suffer from a mental disorder in their lifetime (1). Short Description of Practice Change Implemented: The Medscheme Mental Health Programme follows an internationally successful model of integrating mental health care into the primary care setting through effective collaboration between general practitioners, specialists, and auxiliary caregivers, and the introduction of a care manager to help coordinate the process. Often the first port of call for sufferers of mental illness who do present for care, the general practitioner is ideally placed at the coalface of primary care delivery to promote the integration of mental health care.

Results

Conclusion