Nigeria Tuesday joined the rest of the world to mark this year’s Mental Health Day, aimed at raising awareness on mental health and well-being with a view to driving actions that promote and protect mental health as a universal human right.
The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Mohammad Ali Pate, in his speech to commemorate World Mental Health Day in Abuja, stated that mental health is an integral part of health, and indeed, there is no healthcare without mental health.
He said good mental health is crucial at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood and old age.
He added that it includes the right to be protected from mental health risk, the right to available, accessible, acceptable, and good quality care, and the right to liberty, independence, and inclusion in the community.
“Yet people with mental health conditions continue to experience a wide range of human rights violations globally,” he said.
