By Evance Chisiano

Blantyre, October 10, Mana: Blantyre District Health Office (DHO) on Thursday commemorated World Mental Health Day with a call to advocacy to prioritizing mental health at workplace where, the health office, says most workers are stressed without proper mechanism to address their condition.

The day, which falls on October 10, was commemorated at Gateway Clinic near Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre.

Blantyre DHO mental health nursing officers and a Mental Health Specialist, Dr. Precious Makiyi, gave mental health talks under the commemoration theme: It’s time to priorities mental health in the workplace; health workforce is the best workforce.

Makiyi said there is need to create a conducive work environment to ease stress among workers, which leads to depression thereby affecting production.

He emphasized on the need for employers to monitor workload, unfavorable work conditions and poor work relations with other workers.

He observed that stress and depression leads to mental health associated disorders that lead to workers opting for suicide if proper mechanism such as psychosocial support and counseling are not in place.

Makiyi called upon workers to open up whenever they are bothered with issues that can be addressed at workplace other than suffering in isolation and silence.

“Mostly we take care of physical health ignoring mental health. There is a link between physical health and mental health. Mental health affects physical health; there is no health without mental health,” he said.

Gateway Clinic attends to mental health clients from Monday to Friday to assess mental health status and offer counselling.

Makiyi, therefore, called on people in Blantyre to visit the clinic for mental health checkup and referrals to other mental health facilities for further attention.

Mental Health Nursing Officer, Nellie Gobola Bowa, called on employers in various work places to open opportunities for mental health talks, recreational activities and other lighter moments to workers to ease depression and other factors that lead to mental health disorder.

 “At least 15 adults in work places are depressed,” she said and called on people in work places to avoid stigmatizing and discriminating against those with mental health issues.

Deputy Minister of Health, Halima Daud, on Wednesday held a press conference in Lilongwe on mental health and observed that mental well-being at work place is often overlooked despite mental health being a critical issue.

World Mental Health Day was observed for the first time in 1992 and Malawi joins the world in observing the day in recent years.