Expanding Mental Healthcare Access in Zimbabwe: A Model for Global Impact

Limited access to mental healthcare remains a pressing global challenge. The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Special Initiative aims to bridge this gap by expanding services for 100 million people worldwide. Zimbabwe exemplifies successful initiative implementation through a country-driven approach.

Following a comprehensive national assessment, Zimbabwe identified seven key areas for improvement: leadership, funding, service organization, staffing, research, community engagement, and emergency mental health support.

Collaboration between WHO and Zimbabwe yielded significant results. Over 1.8 million individuals gained access to crucial mental health services, with over 3,000 receiving help for the first time. Additionally, over 370 new mental health workers were trained, and e-training programs reached over 1,500 individuals.

Policy changes are underway, with the Ministry of Health approving a review of mental health legislation and strategy. Collaboration has been strengthened through regular stakeholder meetings.

Integration of services is another success. Training programs were rolled out, and mental health screening is now integrated with HIV services and offered routinely in primary care.

Critically, $3 million was secured to expand services in primary care, aiming to reach 2.5 million in four priority provinces. Additional resources, integration, and collaboration are required to scale up the interventions to the rest of the 10 provinces.

Zimbabwe’s experience serves as a model for expanding mental healthcare access globally. It highlights the importance of country-driven approaches, capacity building, policy advocacy, service integration, and resource mobilization. By replicating this model, other countries can make significant strides in improving mental health outcomes for their populations.

Dr Debra Machando

Dr Debra Machando is a seasoned mental health professional with a proven track record in leading and implementing innovative programs in Zimbabwe. She is the  World Health Organization – Zimbabwe Nechnical officer  for mental health in Zimbabwe since 2020. She  has played a pivotal role in shaping the country’s mental health landscape. Dr Machando served as an executive member  of the Pan Africa Psychology Union for six years and as Chairperson of Zimbabwe’s Allied Health Practitioners’ Council (2015-2020).

Dr. Machando’s expertise extends to a wide range of areas, including clinical psychology, public health, and research. With experience working in both government and non-governmental organizations, she possess a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing mental health services in Zimbabwe.

Under Dr.  Machando’s leadership, the WHO Special Initiative for Mental Health has made significant strides in expanding access to mental health services, improving quality of care, and strengthening the mental health workforce. Key achievements include:

Expanding Access: Successfully increasing access to mental health services for over 1.8 million people, particularly in primary care settings.

Capacity Building: Training over 400 healthcare professionals in mental health interventions and providing essential e-training to over 6000 participants.

Advocacy: Securing government approval for a review of mental health laws and policies, and fostering collaboration with user-led organizations.

Scaling Up Services: Piloting and implementing innovative mental health interventions in multiple provinces and integrating mental health services with existing HIV/TB programs.

Dr. Machando’s research has focused on African mental health systems, with a particular emphasis on cultural considerations and service delivery in resource-limited settings. She has also been instrumental in mobilizing resources to support mental health programs, including securing a $3 million grant from Grand Challenges Canada. Dr Machando loves collaboration with regional and international teams on research and program implementation.

From Birth to Old Age: What has African Culture taught us?

Africans  ensure the continuity of its tradition  through by highlighting  the mutual care between generations. Older adults are seen to be the pride of the family; they provide guidance to younger generations and function as spiritual heads. Thus, it is expected that ageing starting from birth to old age allows the African to age healthily.

Africans view spirituality and its practices as a major source of healing. Spiritual and religious practices, such as dance, singing, and storytelling, are seen to contribute to healthy ageing. Thus, spirituality is considered a fundamental process in ageing. There is growing evidence that people in Western societies are embracing spiritual practices to promote healthy aging. This trend has given rise to the field of neurotheology, where scientists explore the connection between the brain and religion. This address will focus on spirituality and its relation to neuroscience emphasizing its role in the ageing process.

Prof Charles Mate-Kole

Charles Mate-Kole, PhD is Professor of Psychology and the Founding Director of the Centre for Ageing Studies, College of Humanities. He is Consultant Clinical Neuropsychologist at the Department of Psychiatry, UG Medical School, University of Ghana. He is Professor Emeritus and Psychology Founding Director of the Centre for Africana Studies at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU), New Britain, Connecticut, USA. He is the, CCSU. His research is primarily in ageing, dementia, traumatic brain injury, and neurocognitive remediation.

Psychological Consultations in the Democratic Republic of Congo: Practice and Evolution

Context: The work retraces the painful journey of this science, the struggles of the precursors and the happy outcome thanks to the association of practicing psychologists, united within the National Union of Clinical Psychologists, on the other hand. This practice, it should be noted, remained for a long time in the scientific ghetto in the DRC, thus making the masters of yesterday as the holders of a scientific approach very inaccessible to their successors. Which earned them attributions linked to mystical-religious considerations.

Objectives of the work: To constitute a capacity building tool and to offer an orientation, in the discipline, to students and other scientists who are interested in psychological consultations on the one hand, and to describe the progression curve of the activity in the framework of psychological practice.

The culture of psychological consultations in the DRC dates back to the second half of the 20th century by university professors, notably those from the University of Kisangani who migrated to the University of Kinshasa on the one hand, and those from the Institute National Pedagogical on the other hand. During this period until the 1990s, psychological services were not known to the public nor were they structured. Since 2000 to the present day, the need for psychological interventions has increased by 85%, in the context of the mental health of the population, especially with the social intrusion of pandemics and the repeated wars in the East of the country.

Conclusion: Psychological consultations, through their practice, help to understand the client’s real psychological experience and ensure efficient psychotherapeutic support or treatment.

Prof. Ruth Bukabau

Dr Ruth Bukabau Babuya is a professor and clinical psychologist at the University of Kinshasa, where she serves in the departments of psychology, demography, and criminology. She also teaches at the Evangelical University of Bukavu. Her research focuses on the psychopathology of children, adolescents, and women, and she is a specialized educator for children with autism. In addition to her academic work, Dr Bukabau is a consultant at the Fistula Clinic of Saint Joseph Hospital and the Congolese Center for Children and Families (CCEF). She is a member of various professional organizations, including the Association of Urologists of Congo, the International Association for Research in Educational Science (AFIRSE), and the National Union of Clinical Psychologists of Congo (UNPC), where she also serves as treasurer.

Common sense or nonsense? Ideas that have held back and advanced the treatment of OCD

OCD is a chronic and disabling condition which was once thought untreatable. The first seeds of optimism regarding OCD treatment emerged from South Africa after the second world war. Since then, the development of psychological and psychiatric treatments for OCD has been characterised by a series of dead ends, and pivotal turning points.

This address will provide a brief retrospective overview of some of these ideas, the people behind them, and their links to South African psychologists and psychiatrists. The crucial role of intrusive thoughts and safety-seeking behaviours in the development and maintenance of OCD will be discussed. Factors which negatively impact on the effective delivery of psychological treatments for OCD, including pop psychology, the invalidity of traditional CBT techniques when applied to OCD, therapist drift, and therapist beliefs will be reviewed. This presentation will then consider some of the possible broader implications for the future development of our field.

Dr Blake Stobie

I trained at UN, Pietermaritzburg. I am the Director of the Centre for Anxiety Disorders and Trauma at the Maudsley Hospital, London, and the private practice London Psychologist. I have written book chapters and journal articles, collaborated on a video game on OCD based on a graphic novel, appeared in TV documentaries on anxiety treatments, and a TedX talk. I manage national clinics to treat treatment-resistant OCD, and UK terror attack victims.