The government on Monday, March 13, announced that it was establishing wellness and counselling desks at all Huduma Centres across the country.
Speaking during a familiarisation tour of the Huduma Centre in Nairobi on the ongoing government digitisation agenda, Public Service Principal Secretary (PS) Amos Gathecha stated that the government will hire professionals to offer the services.
Moreover, he disclosed that the government will be offering the services for free to all members of the public.
Gathecha further clarified that because it would be tedious to have multiple desks at the centres, the counselling services will also be offered by telephone throughout the day and night to reach as many people as possible.
“We will train the staff so that they can handle all the services at one desk because we will not be able to set up all the desks,” Gathecha stated.
The PS also explained that the wellness and counselling desks were meant to address mental health challenges that had become rampant across the country.
“The State Department recognises the importance of mental health to the well-being of any society,” added the PS.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) continues to warn about the increasing cases of mental illnesses in the country leading to suicide.
According to MOH, the most common suicide risk factors are genetic, biochemical, psychological, social and cultural and may sometimes be combined with experiences of trauma and loss.
Moreover, the ministry detailed in 2021 that depression was the most common psychiatric condition in those who died by suicide.
It was estimated in 2020, that one in every 10 people suffered from a common mental disorder. The number increased to one in every four people among patients attending routine outpatient services.
