2024 WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY: HOS HAILS GOV. SOLUDO’S COMMITMENT TO STAFF WELLBEING THROUGH FREE SCREENING

By MaryAnn Chukwuma :

The workers of Anambra State have joined the rest of the world to mark the 2024 World Mental Health Day celebration.

The event which held at the Jerome Udorji Secretariat complex, Awka had civil servants benefit from free mental screening organised by the Governor of Anambra, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo through the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The Head of Service, Lady Theodora Okwy Igwegbe, who affirmed the importance of maintaining good mental health applauded Gov. Soludo for ensuring that Anambra workers have access to free mental screening as it surely affects the effectiveness of service delivery.

Noting how mental health is neglected in Nigeria, the Civil Service boss applauded the Government of Anambra State for seizing the chance to give workers the rare opportunity to ascertain their mental health conditions.

Igwegbe while speaking in an interview reiterated the theme of the event, “Time to Prioritize Mental Health in the Work Place” stating that the benefits of the programme are far reaching with an effect directly proportional to effectiveness in the workplace.

The foremost Civil Servant advised workers to prioritize their mental wellbeing and ensure they benefit from this well thought out program as she had already done and by so doing, they would have conquered the negligence prevalent in the area of mental health.

The HOS highlighted depression, anxiety and stress as common underlying signs of mental conditions in a person. She commended the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Afam Obidike for his understanding of the need for such screening for workers to help in early detection and eventual treatment for persons who may show symptoms of mental imbalance.

In their separate remarks, the Acting Director, Ministry of Information, Mr. Emmanuel Ikegwuani and Mrs Rose Nwankwo a Civil Servant of the Ministry of Culture, Entertainment and Tourism thanked the governor and the Commissioner for Health for the kind gesture towards the workers of Anambra State while noting that they were thrilled to experience how seamless it is for one to respond to questionnaires and his mental health condition would be ascertained.

Accepting the negligence in the area of mental health, the practitioners attested to the fact that it was an eye opener and they promised to ensure to maintain routine mental health examinations.

* Chukwuma is of the Ministry of Information, Anambra State *