Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
Security experts in the country have raised concerns about the declining level of mental health services provided for military and paramilitary agencies engaged in the task of securing lives and properties in the country.
The concerned stakeholders said they were worried that the unbating exodus of Nigerian doctors and nurses abroad for greener pastures had further compounded issues with health services available for security personnel declining.
The Director General Office for the Strategic Preparedness and Resilience (OSPRE), National Early Warning Centre of Nigeria, Mr. Chris Ngwodo, who spoke at a consultative roundtable on mental healthcare for armed forces, security services and law enforcement personnel said there was need for the security agencies to pool resources to address the gap in provision of mental health services.
He said the authorities of the military and paramilitary agencies in the country and OSPRE came together in a collaborative effort, to convene a meeting of stakeholders in defence, security and law enforcement to addressing healthcare challenges facing the sector.
According Ngwodo, the collaborative effort was geared towards addressing issues pertaining to the mental health of security personnel who serve on the front lines, protecting and securing lives and properties of Nigerians.
“The effort is to seek solutions to the lack of access to mental health for men and women that stake their lives on the frontline while we sleep. We intend to collaboratively design solutions to the challenges of mental health confronting our personnel.
“We recognised that over the years that insecurity has placed great burden on our men and women in the security agencies to deal with the threat to peace and civil order in our country,”
Over the last decade, Nigeria has faced a myriad of escalating security challenges ranging from insurgency and banditry to violent crime, communal conflicts, and terrorism, which have led to the men and women of Nigeria’s military, security services and law enforcement institutions being tasked like never before in the line of duty.
“Combating these threats often carries the risk of sustaining life-changing injuries, becoming polytraumatised, and developing mental health conditions, “ he said.
Ngwodo, also said the meeting was a sign of the federal government’s commitment to improved mental and psychological health of men and women that put their lives on the line to serve the country.
He noted that the armed forces, security services and law enforcement agencies serve as the first line of defence against security threats to the nation, adding that, “the resilience of a nation’s security apparatus can be no more than the mental and psychological resilience of the men and women mobilised to confront these threats.”
While speaking at the event, Consultant Psychiatrist and Mental Health Expert, Synapse Services, Dr Vincent Udenze, said this was important bearing in mind that the country was grappling with the challenge of inadequate number of doctors, nurses and other health personnel.
He said: “We know that today in Nigeria, we do not have enough resources, we lack enough nurses, we lack doctors and other personnel in the health services to look after the military.
“This is the first time that representatives of all military and paramilitary organisations are coming together not only to seek for solution, but to find a home-made solution.
“We are thinking of forming a special service known as Crest that will be able to provide medical services to our security men and women, what will this take and what resources will be required to achieve this are among the key issues we are deliberating on.”
Udenze said that one of the senior military officer had complained bitterly to him over the challenges being posed to the military by the exodus of health professionals from the country.
