Butabika hospital boss calls for mental health interventions

She said Butabika hospital hasn’t been supported to handle a high number of mental health cases as the hospital bed capacity is only 550.

The hospital, she added, has 1000 mental health illness patients admitted despite having a smaller bed capacity.

“There have to be interventions regarding the ever-increasing cases of mental illness patients. Butabika hasn’t been supported to handle high numbers. The hospital only has a bed capacity of 550 beds which is not enough,” she told this reporter.

She said in every 10 people, 4 of them are suffering from depression, and this is a source of suffering from mental health-related diseases.

According to Nakku, Government allocated a budget of sh20b up from sh18b to run the activities at the health facility. She however said more needs to be done for the hospital to be able to do better.

A report released by the Uganda Counselling Association and the Ministry of Health last year indicated that 14 million Ugandans are suffering from mental health disorders.

What this meant is that for every 100 Ugandans, 35 of them are suffering from mental health-related illnesses.

The number, according to the health ministry, only included cases that had been reported in mental health facilities.

Experts said the number could double given the restrictions during the COVID-19 lockdown and economic distress the country is going through.

Other causes such as poverty, family instabilities and substance abuse among others have been cited for the increase in mental health cases in Uganda.