Windhoek: Minister of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security, Lucia Iipumbu has advocated for specialised training for law enforcement and correctional officers as they interact with a significant number of inmates with mental health conditions. Iipumbu made the call during a parliamentary session on Tuesday while contributing to the debate on the 2025 Mental Health Bill, which seeks to repeal and replace the existing Mental Health Act of 1973.
According to Namibia Press Agency, Iipumbu explained that out of 4,500 inmates, there are about 671 inmates with mental health conditions that officers have to manage. "I'm advocating for some platform where these officers can also be trained and be given experience in how to handle such cases," she stressed, adding that officers have not been trained to apprehend and handle the patients.
The minister further called for the improvement of mental health facilities in Namibia to ensure they are fit for purpose. "Let us also have a standard that is set specifically for those facilities for them to be fit for the purpose. I am also advocating not only for the improvement, but also for the demarcation," she said.
While making recommendations on the new Bill, she noted that patients with different mental conditions such as bipolar disorder, depression, and other illnesses are currently placed in the same facilities, instead of being separated according to the severity of their conditions. "I am not saying people must be classified according to their social status, but I am advocating for mild to severe cases to be demarcated," she added.
The Ministry of Health and Social Services' spokesperson, Walters Kamaya, recently informed Nampa that the government owns two mental health facilities and one rehabilitation centre. Listing challenges such as inadequate infrastructure, maintenance and equipment issues, a shortage of human resources, and persistent community stigma, he highlighted the urgent need to expand existing facilities. "With the growing demand for mental health services in Namibia, there is a need for expansion of these facilities to accommodate the increasing number of patients," Kamaya stated.