STATUS OF MENTAL HEALTH IN BURUNDI

By Ms. Joselyne MIBURO, Chief of Mental Health Department to the

Ministry of Health

Contents

I. Socio-political and economical Context in Burundi

II. Politics and legistration in mental healthIII. Human resourcesIV. Where do people get mental health care? V. PerspectivesVI. ChallengesVII.Recommandations to PCAF

I. Socio-political and economical Context in Burundi

War and socio-politic conflict since 1993 Poverty : 172nd out of 179 countries) Diseases and other problems (HIV/AIDS,

ALCOHOLISM and DRUGS) Increasing of the psychiatric and

psychological problems Problems due to actual electoral context

(refugees in and out of the country, different killings…. )

Statistics of mental desorders(2013)

• 2867 (epilepsy)• 1727 (psychosis) • 528 (Depression) • 141 (disorders related to psychological

consumption of alcohol and drugs • 19 (trauma)

II. Politics and legistration in mental health

• No policy of mental health in Burundi • No legistration in mental health in Burundi • Strategic plan in mental health (2011-2015)

exist

III. Human resources

• One Psychiatrist for the hall burundian population;

• Two Male nurses Psychiatrics; • Almost twenty doctors and fifty Male nurses

partially trained(1-2 weeks) in mental health; • A sufficient number of Clinical Psychologists

but non affected in mental health sector;

IV. Where do people get mental health care?

• No public center specialized in mental health; • Only one private Mental hospital exist; • One Center of Therapy and Mental hygiene; • Only one Psychiatric private office; • 5 out of 45 public Hospitals have timidly

integrated mental health in primary care since 2008;

• 30 locals and international NGOs work in psychosocial care at community’s level

V. Perspectives

• Promoting and integrating mental health care into primary care at all levels of MOH

• Setting up a national policy of mental health ( August, 2015)

• Implementing law which protect the victims mental illness

• Recently, a platform of stakeholders in mental health has been set up but still need to be supported

• Since 2013, a mental health department has been incorporated in national public health institute (3 y curricula)

VI. Challenges

• Lack of human and financial resources; • New worrying socio-political situation for

Burundian population• Lack of partners in mental health sector

VII. Recommandations to PCAF

• Support the MOH in training and research in mental health in Burundi ;

• Due to more mental health needs in Burundi, PCAF (african level) has to show more interest

END

• Thank you for your kind attention!!!