Witchcraft stigma fuels mental health isolation in rural communities, parliamentarian says
National Council parliamentarian Augusta Katembo highlighted that mental illness in rural communities is frequently linked to witchcraft and curses, leading to stigma, discrimination, and isolation. She noted that families sometimes conceal relatives with mental illness due to shame, which restricts their access to treatment and support. Katembo explained that rural areas often misunderstand mental health, exacerbated by poverty, unemployment, limited healthcare access, and trauma. These issues are compounded by long distances to health facilities and insufficient mental health service delivery. Katembo stated that the 2025 mental health bill could help combat stigma and outdated laws that do not adequately protect patients' rights. She advocated for decentralised healthcare services, ensuring mental health support reaches regional and constituency levels, and urged strong implementation of the bill at the grassroots level. Fellow parliamentarian Joseph Sikongo noted the bill's provision for a mental health directorate to oversee facilities nationwide. While calling this a positive step, Sikongo cautioned that adequate government funding is crucial for the directorate to fulfill its mandate, comparing the urgency to the response during the Covid-19 pandemic, as mental health has become a crisis.
