The Price of Political, Bureaucratic Apathy

Two weeks ago, Namibian Catholic bishops expressed alarm over a growing mental health crisis, describing it as “often-hidden suffering” that reaches into families countrywide.

In a pastoral letter signed by archbishop Liborius Nashenda, they warned that stigma is making the situation worse, stopping many people from seeking the help they need.

The bishops quoted pope John Paul II, who said that depression is not a sin nor a sign of weakness. He said it was an illness and like any illness called for understanding and treatment. In Namibia, treatment that keeps psychiatric patients stable has all but become a luxury.

This week, The Namibian reported that mental health patients at the Oshakati, Engela and Okahandja state hospitals do not have medication.

This picture appears to be the same in other parts of the country where patients are forced to return home without medication or to buy medication from private pharmacies.