Holding onto their hats on a windy Sunday, more than 1,600 people participated in the 10th annual mental health walk in Durban.
Organised by the KwaZulu-Natal Mental Health Advocacy Group, a non-profit body network of activists, patients, families and healthcare workers, and co-founders Prof Suvira Ramlall and Suntosh Pillay, the event has attracted thousands of participants each year.
What began with a few dozen people on the beachfront has evolved into the flagship event for mental health in KwaZulu-Natal. This is more than a walk; it’s become a movement.
Hosted ahead of World Mental Health Day on October 10, the related wellness fair hosted more than 40 organisations, including the eThekwini District health office, the Bessie Makhathini Foundation, Trans Hope, North Bay Lodge, Phrenaid and the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s occupational therapy students.
Lynne Richards, project manager for the walk and chairperson of the trauma and violence division of the Psychological Society of South Africa (PsySSA), praised the event as “a wonderful way for government, civil society, and NGOs, to network and create change”.
“The walk is an inclusive space for people from all walks of life, including people with lived experiences to advocate for better mental health services in the province.”
The walk takes place against the backdrop of the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government being in severe financial distress, with the department of health freezing vacant posts, resulting in major gaps in psychological and psychiatric services.
Pillay said that despite health care getting 35.5% of the provincial budget, austerity measures resulted in burnout of staff at the coalface of service delivery, who are told to do more with less.
“Healthcare workers are struggling to cope. We need more staff and better infrastructure, desperately. KwaZulu-Natal has seen some progress, like the inclusion of registered counsellors at community health centres, funded by a National Health Insurance grant, but there remains a struggle for hospitals to meet the growing demand for mental health services, where the bulk of vacancies exist. We’ve got potential, but we need to fill posts,” he said.
Dr Phatheka Ntaba from the Ngwelezane Hospital said the event advocated for the importance of investing more in mental health.
“In fact, it reignited my fire and passion to do more in this field.”
TimesLIVE
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.