Every October 10th of every year we celebrate World Mental Health Day, and for 2022, the theme was “Make mental health and well-being for all a global priority.”
In Africa, mental health services and research is scarce.
A lot of Africans can barely afford 3 square meals per day, not to talk more about mental healthcare accessibility on the continent. Then there’s poor governance in African countries which only compounds the issue.
The story is in the numbers.
There is 1 psychiatrist per 500,000 people on the continent. The World Health Organization benchmark is 100 for every 500,000 persons.
Meanwhile, 6 of the 10 countries with the worst suicide rates worldwide are in Africa.
In Nigeria, healthtech startup Nguvu Health and insurance and assets management company AXA Mansard have entered a 2-year partnership to improve the quality of mental health services
Nguvu Health is an on-demand teletherapy platform that provides Nigerians with access to clinical psychologists. It was launched in 2020 by co-founders Joshua Koya and Juliet Odumosu.
The Nguvu health x AXA Mansard collaboration for expanding mental healthcare in Nigeria will involve corporate clients and stakeholders of AXA Mansard receiving a quarterly subsidised wellness session and a mental health audit.
Customers of AXA Mansard will get discounts for various forms of treatment from Nguvu, including 15% off couple and support group therapy.
The mental health audit involves workplace policies review, safety and health evaluations, via private staff surveys and interviews and communication.
From the audit a unique wellness action plan will be created with deadlines and quarterly wellness meetings that will act as “temperature checks” to monitor progress and resume efficiency optimisation
AXA Mansard is a big finance corporation in Nigeria providing financial advisory, portfolio and risk management services, as well as investment consulting. The company also provides insurance for automobiles, homes, lives, health, travel, businesses, and education.
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