Launch of National Mental Health Strategic Plan

The National Mental Health Strategic Plan (NMHSP) covering the next five years has been launched on July 13, 2021, in the presence of the Ethiopian Minister of Health, WHO representatives, and other stakeholders.

The NMHSP has been reviewed several times to make it as comprehensive as possible while making it aligned with the recommendations of the WHO Global Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2020, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The Mental Health Service Users Association is honored to report that it has been involved in these reviews to amplify the perspective of people with mental health conditions and caregivers.

The NMHSP intends to engage mental health care users at different levels. It recognizes the advocacy role service users and other civil organizations can play in creating more effective and accountable policies, laws, and services for mental health in a manner consistent with international and regional human rights instruments. It also recognizes the importance of involving them in identifying community needs and appropriate interventions. The role of lived experience is also highlighted in the fight against stigma and discrimination.

The establishment of the Mental Health Service Users Association (MHSUA) is acknowledged as an opportunity to build on the Strategy’s SWOT analysis. This is a milestone for the historically voiceless service users in the country. The Strategy also recognized service users, their organizations, and the community as one of the stakeholders on which depends the effective implementation of the Strategic Plan. In addition, peer support delivered by service users is considered as one of the treatment options in the Optimal Mix of Mental Health Service in the Strategic Plan.

However, for the promises of the Strategic Plan to come true, all government and non-government stakeholders need to join hands as Our Collective Voice for Mental Health [MHSUA motto] matters most.

Although the importance of involving mental health service users and their organizations in the improvement of the healthcare system is being acknowledged around the world, the issue is still new in countries like Ethiopia. However, the MHSUA has recorded some promising changes in advocating for a collective voice.

MHSUA is part of the national committee organizing the World Mental Health Day celebrated this year. It was given a slot at last year’s national Mental Health Day to present mental health service users’ perspectives on increasing access and investment in mental healthcare. The MHSUA took part in the national Annual Review Meeting of the mental health sector, held for the first time as a separate meeting. Mental health focal persons from all over the regions in the
country assessed achievements of the year in terms of mental health services and planning for the next one. The MHSUA is involved in reviewing the draft Health Act, which addresses issues related to mental health services as part of this general Health Service Act. The MHSUA was also part of the drafting team responsible to prepare mental health education materials for health care providers, service users, and the community. The MHSUA was invited as a stakeholder to voice its perspective on the curriculum of a new Ph.D. program in Counselling Psychology at Addis Ababa University.

For the MHSUA to play the roles allotted to it in the NMHSP, the enabling factors need to be set out; otherwise, it will end up to be nice statements on paper only. The fight against stigma around mental health need to target all levels; structural, institutional, social and personal. The more persons with mental health conditions become their own advocate, the higher the chances to improve mental health care. While involving service users and their organization in policy design, legislation, research, etc. the intention needs to be non-tokenistic so that the National Mental Health Strategic Plan fulfills its purpose.

Originally Posted on Global Mental Health Action Network Members’ Blog