Rwanda launches “We Are Equal” campaign to promote gender equality in healthcare, focusing on mental health

RWANDA — Rwanda has embarked on a significant initiative to champion gender equality in healthcare, with a particular emphasis on mental health services.

The year-long campaign, aptly named “We Are Equal,” is part of a broader continental effort led by the Organization of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD).

The campaign’s core objectives revolve around raising awareness about mental health, as well as preventing and early detecting non-communicable diseases.

Mental health is at the forefront of this campaign, as the World Health Organization estimates that approximately 20 million people globally grapple with chronic mental illnesses, which can lead to distorted thinking, hallucinations, and delusions.

Recent studies conducted in Rwanda have revealed a high prevalence of mental disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety.

These studies found PTSD prevalence ranging from 11% to 46%, with depression prevalence falling between 15% and 53%.

Despite these alarming statistics, the awareness of mental health services remains low in the country.

One key challenge in Rwanda, as in other low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is the lack of service user participation and limited mental health literacy.

Many Rwandans do not recognize mental disorders as serious health issues, partially due to cultural acceptance issues and a lack of awareness.

At the campaign’s launch event in Kigali, Yvan Butera, Rwanda’s Minister of State in the Ministry of Health, stressed the significance of mental health.

He encouraged individuals and households to prioritize mental health and combat the stigma surrounding it. Butera emphasized that mental health issues can affect anyone.

Despite progress in healthcare, some Rwandans still turn to traditional healers for mental health cases, while others avoid seeking healthcare due to the associated stigma and lack of awareness.

Rwanda’s First Lady, Jeannette Kagame, expressed the campaign’s core message, stating, “We are equal, and together we can thrive.”

She highlighted that gender inequality, often manifested in forms like gender-based violence, significantly impacts women’s mental health.

The Ministry of Health in Rwanda is working on mechanisms to expand mental health services, with plans to deploy mental health workers to health centers across the country this year.

The “We Are Equal” campaign aligns with a broader call to action for gender equity in Africa. According to OAFLAD, closing the gender gap in the continent is not merely an act of charity but a matter of justice and common sense that benefits everyone.

While mental health and well-being are integral to the Sustainable Development Goals, fewer than 1 in 50 people with severe mental illnesses in low- and middle-income countries receive evidence-based treatment.

Rwanda’s proactive stance on mental health is noteworthy, with the government introducing a mental health policy just a year after the genocide, making it one of the first countries in sub-Saharan Africa to do so.

Earlier this year, the health ministry announced that it plans to conduct an in-depth assessment of the state of mental health following several reports of increasing numbers of people battling mental illness.

In October 2022, Ndera Neuro-Psychiatric Teaching Hospital reported that it had received 7,817 patients battling depression compared to 1,743 recorded in 2021.

In 2018, Rwanda’s updated strategic plan for the health sector set ambitious targets for expanding mental healthcare services, including decentralization and integration into primary healthcare.

A five-year collaboration between the Rwanda Ministry of Health and the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies, initiated in 2018, is further bolstering efforts to enhance mental health care and establish an affordable quality care model.

If successful, the insights gained from this collaboration could serve as a blueprint for other countries in the region and potentially worldwide.

Dr. Kivwanga Mwaniki, the global execution leader of mental health at Johnson & Johnson, expressed optimism about the project’s potential impact.

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