Facilities

Mental health services are delivered across a network of facilities designed to provide a supportive and confidential environment for care — from the primary health centre nearest to you through to specialist tertiary hospitals.

With the support of the Lagos State Ministry of Health, a team of mental health experts from the Lagos State University College of Medicine launched the Mental Health in Primary Care (MeHPriC) project, funded by Grand Challenges Canada. The project developed, tested, implemented and evaluated affordable, acceptable and scalable interventions for priority mental health conditions in primary care across Lagos State. It ran in two phases.

The first phase — the Pilot Study, completed in 2015 — tested a depression management plan in 15 primary health centres. The research showed the treatment plan to be clinically effective, predictable and cost-effective.

The Transition to Scale phase followed. Around 800 healthcare workers from the 57 flagship PHCs were trained to recognise and manage common mental disorders including depression and anxiety, and to recognise signs of suicidal ideation and act on them.

As part of integration into the health system, the PHCs were grouped into clusters and assigned to specific State General Hospitals, which serve as district points for referral and transition of care. Now that the Grand Challenges Canada funding cycle has completed, the Lagos State Ministry of Health has integrated the programme into its own strategy for sustainable mental health services.