In a significant step towards enhancing mental health support, the County Government of Uasin Gishu is set to introduce mental health and rehabilitation services at Kibulgeny Dispensary in Kuinet/Kapsuswa Ward, Soy sub-County.

The new initiative seeks to address the growing mental health needs of the local community, particularly in the busy Central Business District (CBD).

County Chief Officer for Promotive and Preventive Health Paul Wangwe, who toured the facility, underscored the pressing need for accessible mental health services.

"Through these services, we aim to provide support and rehabilitation to individuals facing mental health challenges and to promote overall well-being within our communities," said Dr Wangwe.

According to Dr Wangwe, the introduction of these services aligns with rising global awareness of mental health and follows recent studies indicating an increase in mental health disorders.

Dr Wangwe cited urban stressors and socio-economic pressures as factors triggering mental health issues, making dedicated support services more essential than ever.

“The dispensary’s location in the Central Business District (CBD) is strategic. Urban environments can contribute to heightened stress and anxiety, and many people in these areas lack access to adequate mental health resources," noted the official.

Principal Programmes Officer Johanes Mosbei on his part welcomed the initiative, viewing it as a step towards fostering a healthier, more resilient community by addressing mental health challenges.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realise their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community.

It is an integral component of health and well-being that underpins individual and collective abilities to make decisions, build relationships and shape the world people form part.

Mental health is considered a basic human right and it is crucial to personal, community, and socio-economic development.

Mental health is more than the absence of mental disorders as it exists on a complex continuum, which is experienced differently from one(1) person to the next, with varying degrees of difficulty and distress and potentially very different social and clinical outcomes.

Mental health conditions include mental disorders and psychosocial disabilities as well as other mental states associated with significant distress, impairment in functioning, or risk of self-harm.

People with mental health conditions are more likely to experience lower levels of mental well-being, but this is not always or necessarily the case.