3 Million Voices
2.3.3 Mental Health
Zimbabwe has a severe shortage of human resources for mental health, with an estimated 18 psychiatrists in
government institutions, 17 of them in Harare, or approximately 0.1 per 100,000 population, according to the
World Health Organisation (WHO).
There are 917 psychiatric nurses, which is about six per every 100,000 people and six psychologists, about 0.04
per 100,000.
For over two decades, economic volatility has led to a substantial brain drain, and trained specialists in all
sectors, including health, have left the country or are practicing privately.
According to the WHO, although there is a relatively large number of psychiatric nurses in Zimbabwe, many
have diverted to HIV-related care given increased funding, primarily from international donors, for these areas of
health services
The entire country only has two public psychiatric hospitals, two psychiatric inpatient units, and seven outpatient
mental health facilities.
The majority of the rural population in Zimbabwe do not have access to mental health services.
Private mental health specialists charge as much as USD150.00 for a single session, an amount that is out of
reach for many Zimbabweans.
2.3.3 An expert’s perspective
Clement Nhunzvi
Occupational therapist; a PhD fellow with the African Mental Health Research Initiative (AMARI);
Lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe
New trends of substance abuse are emerging from research and observational data in Zimbabwe, where young
adults are going into substance abuse in efforts to cope with socio-economic challenges.
People are struggling to make ends meet and they do not have adaptive ways of dealing with it.
The other problem is that drugs are also available because of the porous border posts and corrupt law
enforcement agencies.
.The solution is to admit at country level that we have a crisis and the crisis is socio-economic in nature. We are
continuing as if everything is fine. When we have admitted the reality of the situation, we put in place measures
that tally with the reality.
Measures like having mental health services available to those in the informal sector. We need to organize these
informal traders into spaces where we are able to make them acquire knowledge.
Some people do not know what to do and where to go and we need to raise awareness so that people can
know where to go.
The services should also be of good quality and should be transformative to people’s lives.
Government should put up more innovative and sustainable responses to this challenge.
Without a social contract that binds the right to work, the right to an adequate standard of living, including
food, clothing, and housing, the right to physical and mental health, the right to social security, the right to a
healthy environment, and the right to education, the future remains gloomy.
We need an all-inclusive approach to repairing the social damage that has happened to our country which has
affected not just women, but the general population and has left many living in abject poverty.
IN April, ZPP held a clust dialogue that brought together duty bearers in local
11kssues
and central government and residents of Hauna, where they discussed
affecting their region. ZPP also held the same dialogue in Matobo