Fight Covid-19 alongside other health threats

The Covid-19 pandemic has roundly been described at the new normal.

From Vihiga to Rome, London to Kiev, Lilongwe to Stockholm, Marrakech to Sidney, coronavirus has left destruction in its wake.

Developing countries and their industrialised counterparts have been hit, with deaths, job losses and socio-economic disruptions of untold proportions. In the United States, now gripped by a tense elections, CDC’s ensemble forecast projects up to 266,000 19 deaths by November 28.

The whole world is struggling with Covid-19. At first when the virus erupted, everyone was concerned about the health implications and the desire to stay alive. 

The focus is, however, becoming more on the economic repercussions. Just this week, President Kenyatta announced 13 measures to re-invigorate the war on the virus. That was timely.

However, as we struggle to safeguard our health and keep the economy afloat, it is important to focus one  key forgotten area — mental health.

How much effort, if any, has Kenya and other African nations put towards mental health?

In March, the World Health Organisation declared Covid-19 a pandemic and health authorities worldwide have been acting to contain the virus. However, this time of crisis is generating stress in the population.

Families are locked up together, finances are running out, people are dying and access to medical care is difficult. Pressure is building up, leaving some with mental health disorders. According to the Ministry of Health, one in every 10 Kenyans suffers some form of mental disorders. Officials have attributed increased gender-based violence to psychological issues. There are many people who now suffer from mild mental illnesses due to the pandemic. However, since we do not have a culture of detecting such or even when we detect we tend to trivialise them, we risk facing double tragedy. The burden brought about by Covid-19 has put a strain on families and individuals, and on the mental health of the people. Mental illness, if not addressed properly, may lead to depression, suicide and even murder.

There have been several reports on heart-wrenching suicide cases believed to be linked to the toll Covid-19 is taking on individuals. A finance minister in Germany and a Manhattan emergency room physician are among those who committed suicide in March and April respectively, purportedly as a result of Covid-19. Massive lay-offs have been witnessed worldwide since the beginning of this pandemic.

The Labour Department in the US has reported that nearly 30 million positions have been shed from payrolls there. According to Kenya National Bureau of Statistics Quarterly Labour Force, at least 300,000 Kenyans lost jobs between January and March this year, pulling the rate of unemployment to 13.7 per cent as at March 2020 from 12.4 per cent in December 2019.

When you extrapolate this data, things could be worse now. Job losses may fuel depression, anxiety and schizophrenia. As we rebuild the economy, let us employ efforts to help those with mental illness.

There are people who have lost their jobs and houses and are barely able to feed their family. Check up on friends, they might be depressed. Emergency mental health help centres should be established to help in dealing with this issue.

The prudent thing to do is to fight Covid-19 alongside other worrying conditions. Fighting the pandemic and the expense of other life-threatening conditions may be the wrong path to take.

The government has an obligation to consult widely and roll up a robust health programme that will ensure we live nothing to chance. The economic health of a country depends on the health of its citizens.

- The writer is a communications practitioner