The Government of Sierra Leone (GoVSL), through the Ministry of Health (MoH) and its development partners, has launched the country’s first ever mental health champions network at the Bank Complex in Freetown. These are volunteers who have demonstrated key qualities in their personal, professional or community lives and are driven by a strong desire to improve mental health services in the country.
As far as mental health issues are concerned, the case of Sierra Leone is very peculiar. In the last two decades alone, this small West African country has been through an unbelieveable amounts of successive crises—from a brutal civil war, that lasted over a decade, to the 2014 to 2016 West African Ebola Outbreak and from the August 14th mudslide in 2017 to the Covid-19 Pandemic and now, the country is fighting an ongoing Mpox virus outbreak. The successive nature of these traumatic events provided no time for people to heal.
To make matters worse, mental health conditions are often associated with witchcraft and often considered by many a taboo topic. Complicating matters even further, is the fact that people who suffer from mental illnesses are most often referred to either a traditional healer or a religious leader for healing instead of seeking treatment from medically trained personnel. Added to these are social stigma, cultural and traditional beliefs; all of which only make a bad situation worse. Drug abuse also adds a different layer to the problem. A recent community-based survey revealed an alarming illicit drug use in Sierra Leone, particularly among young people. The survey indicates that the country currently grapples with a startling 62% drug use. This revelation emphasizes a growing public health problem that threatens to reverse the hard-fought gains the nation has achieved.
But, all these are about to change for good. The Ministry of Health, under Dr. Austin Demby as Minister, aims to provide a more holistic mental health (MH) treatment circle. There is now an increased public awareness about the issues, particularly at community levels. Information flow about the condition has been intensified, service delivery has been uposcaled. No doubt that these demonstrate strong political commitment by the government to address the growing problems of mental health in Sierra Leone. In April last year, President Julius Maada Bio declared a national emergency over use of the highly adictive drug “Kush.”
Since then, a presidential taxforce had been set up to help tackle the kush crisis. The government has also established national treatment centers to help with the rehabilitation of those batteling substance abuse. Also, the only psychiatric home in Freetown has now been rehabilitated with improved service delivery. With most Sierra Leoneans having experienced one form of trauma or the other with psychological effects, MoH is prioritising three key components in the mental health response. These include, but not limited to; core treatment, rehabilitation and community integration.
But, despite the tremendous efforts made to improve mental health services, challenges still remain with access to treatment, quality of care and resources. Current data indicates that Sierra Leone grapples with about 98% treatment gap, which translates into a mere 2% access to care for those in need of mental health services.
That is why the induction of these new batch of mental health champions is considered a game chaanger especially given the current context of the situation at grassroots levels, where buld of the problem still persists. The se new champions consists of 27 individuals whose main job now is to advocate, help advance, promote legislative and policy reforms that are necessary to promoting mental health issues in Sierra Leone.
Freetown, 18th March, 2025.