NEDC To Build Mental Health Support Centre In Borno

The North East Development Commission (NEDC) has disclosed that it would build a mental health support centre for victims of Boko Haram insurgency in the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital in Maiduguri.

The managing director/CEO of NEDC, Mohammed Alkali, disclosed plans for the centre at the NEDC headquarters in Maiduguri yesterday while addressing the medical director of the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital and his delegation who paid him a courtesy visit.

He said the centre would help speed up the process of recovery and prevent problems  the victims of the Boko Haram conflict may encounter in  future.

According to him, the over decade Boko Haram insurgency in the North East has traumatised many people and may impede their ability to live normal life.

“The centre will help victims of the insurgency to be able to live independently following their recovery by improving their survival rates.

“As we know, a trauma center is very important in providing the highest level of care for a patient who experienced a traumatic injury during the insurgency, especially, for Internally Displaced Persons who were previously under the control of non-state armed groups,” he said. 

Medical director of Maiduguri Federal Neuropsychiatric, Professor Ibrahim Abdu Wakawa, said the hospital is currently experiencing challenges which include power shortage as a result of the high cost of diesel, scarcity of water, training of staff and skills development, shortage of hospital beds, inadequate ambulances among others.

In another development, NEDC in collaboration with the Japan International Corporation Agency has distributed  public address systems to 112 local government areas of the six states in the North-East.