Govt moves to decentralise mental health care as Butabika overwhelms
The proposed shift would enable more patients to receive mental health services closer to their communities instead of relying on Butabika, the country's main national referral facility for mental health care.
Butabika National Referral Mental Hospital. (File)
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The Ministry of Health is moving to strengthen mental health services at regional referral and general hospitals as Butabika National Referral Mental Hospital struggles to cope with the growing number of patients seeking specialised care.
Dr Joseph Okware, the Ministry of Health Director of Health Services, Governance and Regulation, said Butabika is overwhelmed, while many regional referral and lower-level facilities lack the specialists, infrastructure and medicines needed to diagnose and treat mental health conditions.
“We need to build capacity at the regional referral and general hospitals so that we have human resources who can diagnose and treat these conditions,” Okware said during the launch of Mental health run at ministry of health, Wandegeya, on September 3rd.
The proposed shift would enable more patients to receive mental health services closer to their communities instead of relying on Butabika, the country's main national referral facility for mental health care.
The move comes after the Ministry of Health reported an increase in mental health cases recorded in public health facilities during the 2024/25 financial year.
He attributed the burden to factors including poverty, unemployment, gender-based violence, substance use, educational pressure, displacement and other forms of social vulnerability.
Akiya said the government has established mental health treatment services at all 13 regional referral hospitals and is also providing services at lower-level health facilities where the required manpower is available.
However, he said shortages of specialised health workers, infrastructure and medicines continue to limit the delivery of comprehensive mental health care.
He called for greater investment in community-based interventions, arguing that many of the factors driving mental health problems fall outside the health sector.
“Many of the drivers of mental health are outside the Ministry of Health,” Akiya said, calling for coordinated action involving Government, communities and civil society.
Baryomunsi also warned against criminalising people with mental health conditions, saying some patients are reported to police and end up in prison cells instead of receiving medical attention.
“People with mental illness should be treated as patients, not suspects or criminals,” he cautioned.
The Minister said communities should recognise mental illness as a health condition and ensure affected people receive treatment and dignity, while people who pose a danger to themselves or others should receive appropriate protection and specialised care.
The Ministry has also maintained an estimate that about 35% of Ugandans, equivalent to roughly 14 million people, live with some form of mental health condition. However, the figure is based on an earlier estimate rather than a new national prevalence survey.
The government's renewed focus on decentralising mental health services comes as Uganda prepares for the 2026 Mental Health Run, scheduled for October 11 at Makerere University Business School (MUBS) Nakawa Grounds under the theme, “Run for Your Mind: Break the Silence and the Stigma.”
The five-kilometre and 10-kilometre run is expected to raise funds for mental health services, including expansion of the outpatient department shelter at Butabika and Soroti hospitals.