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Mauritius marked the World Mental Health Day 2021 under the theme “Mental Health in an Unequal World” on 09 October 2021 at Mahebourg Hospital in the presence of the Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Hon. Kailesh Kumar Singh Jagutpal, the Private Parliamentary Secretary, Mrs T. Jutton, the Member of Parliament, Mr R. Doolub, the World Health Organization Representative in Mauritius, Dr L. Musango, and other personalities, including the health personnel of the Mahebourg Hospital. Dr Hon. Jagutpal, in his address, said that mental health has always been associated to stigma. He added, “93 000 patients and more than 3200 people have been admitted at the Brown Sequard Mental Hospital in 2020 in Mauritius.” The Minister of Health and Wellness emphasized the fact that children too suffer from mental health problems and 224 patients suffering from mental health problems under the age of 18 have been admitted for treatment last year.

The World Health Organization Country Office in Sierra Leone has concluded a two-day high level technical and operational planning retreat with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation to develop and validate the key priorities for the Organization’s 2022-2023 biennial Operational Work Plan. The consultative process facilitated strategic discussions on aligning the Organization’s two years activities with the health priorities of the government of Sierra Leone.

At least one in seven children in sub-Saharan Africa experiences significant psychological hardship. As the world marks World Mental Health Day, UNICEF and WHO shine a light on the need for increased investment and access to mental health prevention and response services on the continent.

Margaret was engulfed by depression and overwhelmed by stigma. With little motivation for life as she struggled to adjust to living with HIV while pregnant, she contemplated death. "I could lock myself in the house every day. I wanted to kill my child and kill myself because I thought I was no longer useful in this life and I didn't want my child to suffer as I did," she says.