Question NW3710 to the Minister of Health

Reply:

Integration of mental health into the general health services environment is one of the key interventions prescribed by the Mental Health Care Act, 2002 (Act No 17 of 2002) to strengthen delivery of accessible, person centered mental health services by ensuring that mental health services are decentralised and made available nearer to where people live, learn and work.

Intergovernmental Strategies aimed at the integration of mental health into the general services environment are as follows:

• Section 71 of the Mental Health Care Act, 2002 was activated to establish the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Mental Health by Regulation. This nineteen member Committee comprises of representatives from the stakeholders government departments (Basic Education, Social Development, Higher Education and Training, Correctional Services, SAPS, Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities), representatives of mental health care practitioners (psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker, psychiatric nurse and occupational therapist), representative from the private sector, representative from the NGOs that provide mental health services, representative from higher education or mental health research institutions, a legal person (magistrate, advocate or attorney), a traditional health practitioner and two mental health care users representatives. The main role of this multistakeholders body is to advise the Department in the area of mental health from an intergovernmental and multisectoral perspective in view of the cross cutting nature of mental health issues.
• The National Department of Health is working closely with stakeholders including among others civil society, relevant professional associations, partners and other government departments to increase public knowledge and awareness on mental health so as to facilitate prevention, early help seeking behaviour and address the stigma that continues to be associated with mental illness. Mental health intersectoral forums are established at national, provincial and local levels.

Among others, these forums ensure a coordinated effort in educating the public on risk factors and protective factors for mental health, signs of mental illness, where to go for help as well as the importance of seeking help early for mental health symptoms.

• Health practitioners are trained in Adult Primary Care which capacitate them to diagnose and manage co-morbidities such as mental health, HIV, TB, NCDs, etc in individuals.
• The Department provides funding to NGOs that are working in the area of mental health to implement mental health education, promotion and advocacy to increase public awareness on mental health. In the 2023/24 financial year the South African Federation for Mental Health was funded with an amount of R490 000.00 to run a mental health information desk that the public access through calling, sms, WhatsApp, Facebook page, by email and through the website.

END.