Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, has said his administration has integrated mental healthcare into primary and secondary health systems, with plans to extend services to all 30 general hospitals and primary healthcare facilities across the state’s 23 local government areas.
Sani disclosed this on Friday during the 2026 World Mental Health Day celebration at the Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital, Barnawa, Kaduna.
The governor, represented by the Commissioner for Health, Umma K Ahmad, said the state had trained and certified 100 doctors, nurses and pharmacists from 10 general hospitals under the World Health Organisation’s Mental Health Gap Action Programme.
He said mental health screening had also been incorporated into routine maternal and child health services.
“We are extending services to all 30 general hospitals and to primary healthcare facilities in all 23 local government areas, while strengthening and expanding access at the tertiary level,” the governor said.
According to him, integrating mental healthcare into the primary and secondary health systems would promote a decentralised, evidence-based and human rights-focused approach to treatment.
The governor said the initiative was being implemented through collaboration between the state government and federal health institutions.
He commended the Medical Director of the hospital, Professor Aishatu Yusha’u Armiya’u, for her contributions to healthcare delivery in Kaduna State.
Sani also disclosed that the hospital had introduced a telepsychiatry programme to enable patients, particularly those in remote communities, to access mental health services without making long journeys to the facility.
He said the programme would also allow specialists at the hospital to support health workers in primary and secondary healthcare facilities.
The medical director, in her remarks, urged Nigerians to take collective responsibility for mental health by supporting people experiencing emotional and psychological difficulties.
She encouraged members of the public to check on family members, friends and colleagues, listen to those who needed support and seek professional assistance when necessary.
“Mental health is not only an individual responsibility. It is a shared responsibility,” Armiya’u said.
She also highlighted the Kaduna State Mental Health Law, enacted in September 2025, describing it as an institutional step towards protecting the rights and dignity of people living with mental health conditions.
Armiya’u said the hospital had collaborated with the Kaduna State Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency to train and certify multidisciplinary health workers drawn from primary healthcare centres across the 23 local government areas.
She added that the hospital had introduced a smart digital patient card to improve access to patients’ personal details, medical histories, treatment records and appointment information.
According to her, the card also supports electronic payments as part of efforts to make the hospital’s operations more efficient and reduce paperwork.
The World Mental Health Day celebration was held under the theme, “Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change.”
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