Martins Ifijeh
President of the Association of Psychiatrists of Nigeria (APN), Dr. Taiwo Sheikh, has called on the federal government to review the 1916 Lunatic Law passed on to the country by the colonial masters.
He explained that the Lunatic Law currently practised was archaic and has been unable to provide for mental healthcare on equal footing with physical health, adding that it has given no attention to mental healthcare financing or access to such services within primary care system.
Speaking during the presentation of awards to deserving partners of the Health Writers Association of Nigeria (HEWAN) held in Lagos yesterday, Sheikh said with recent developments in the knowledge of mental health and the political evolution of the country, Nigerians did not deserve the present law, noting that the law did not address the core of mental health prevention,…
Source: Thisday Newspaper
