Ethiopia: Hospital Stresses Creating Comfortable Env’t for Mental Health

-Marks ‘World Mental Health Day’

Preserving comfortable environment in workplaces is critical to protect employees’ mental health, Amanuel Mental Specialized Hospital said.

Amanuel Mental Specialized Hospital yesterday marked the ‘World Mental Health Day’ aiming to create awareness about mental health impacts.

Speaking at the occasion, Amanuel Mental Specialized Hospital Emergency Department Director Lulu Bekana (MD) said that protecting employees’ mental and physical health in working places is a responsibility of institutions, employees’ representatives or associations and concerned bodies. The effort needs creating healthy and comfortable environment at working places.

Approached by The Ethiopian Herald Outpatients Department Head Samuel Tolosa said that many employees with mental disorders have not been receiving medical treatment due to various reasons. Several employees have been receiving mental health treatment and getting quick recovery aside from well performing in workplaces in Ethiopia.

Mental health problem has been resulting low performance in workplaces. As a result, it has been causing economic burdens for a country, family and community. The effort requires preserving mental and psychical safety of individuals in working places or areas. The task is a responsibility of all stakeholders.

Furthermore, protecting employees mental health requires setting policy frameworks at working areas, changing the existing managerial system, expanding sporting facilities, preparing various refreshments and others, he said.

As to him, the community has low level of awareness. Some 10 to 15% of people are victims of mental health in workplace and 90% of them don’t receive medical treatment globally. So, they are not effective in performing their tasks. Most of the employees have been working in uncomfortable environment particularly in developing countries including Ethiopia.

According to documents, globally, an estimated 12 billion working days are lost every year to depression and anxiety at a cost of 1 trillion USD per year in productivity loss. There are effective actions to prevent mental health risks at work, protect and promote mental health at work, and support workers with mental health conditions.

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