RWAMAGANA - Thousands yesterday celebrated the World Mental Health Day in Rwamagana,.

The day that is normally celebrated on October 10, is meant to create global awareness which particularly addresses the continuing need to make mental health issues a priority.

The Minister of Health, Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, who presided over the colourful ceremony, said that mental healthcare should be given the importance it deserves.

She commended AVEGA-agahozo and all Rwandans in general, for the support they gave victims of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi, who suffered trauma.

"Mental and physical problems are interrelated…physical diseases generate mental problems. AVEGA and the Rwandan society did a great job while handling the Genocide aftermath as far as mental problems are concerned,” she said.

The minister emphasized the need to train all medical staff in the country so they are able to handle the cases.

"We trained doctors, next will be nurses and all health workers at the grass root level. They need skills to handle people with mental problems,” Binagwaho noted.

Dr. Dovlo Delanyo, World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in Rwanda, said that integrating mental health services into primary care is the most viable way of ensuring that people have access to the mental healthcare they need.

He said that Rwanda offers a good example of how people can continue living meaningful lives after mental problems.

"It should be a concern of everybody…in every six people, at least one has a mental problem. Unfortunately, our focus has been on physical problems as opposed to mental ones. We must change,’ he said.

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