The Nigeria-American Institute for Mental Health (NAIMH) will train healthcare workers on the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Mental Health Gap Action Programme (MH-GAP) guidelines in Nigeria.

The institute’s secretary, Azubuike Aliche, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.

MH-GAP is aimed at scaling up services for mental, neurological and substance use disorders, especially for low- and middle-income earners.

Mr Aliche stated that the first phase of the training, scheduled for 2025 and covering one year, would be conducted in Abia, Anambra and Enugu states, while the second phase would be held in Ebonyi and Imo.

According to him, the training is for primary health extension workers, social workers, nurses, schoolteachers, hospital staff, and others in local communities to identify symptoms of certain mental health conditions.

He said they would also be trained to manage the symptoms and/or refer serious cases to professional mental health providers.

Mr Aliche said 25 master trainers would be trained, and for each state to benefit from the programme, 150 community health workers and others would be trained in each of the five local governments in the states where it would take place.

He also said that the training staff would include coordinators, programme monitoring and evaluation officers, programme assistants, and master trainers and that the training would be conducted onsite and virtually using the WHO MH-GAP training guide.

Regarding the organisation’s objectives, Mr Aliche said it aimed to close the disparity between mental health services and psychoeducation in Nigeria and forge partnerships with individuals, organisations, and agencies to create a viable path of support.

This will be through education and increased availability of effective professionals skilled in the mental health field.

(NAN)