South Africa’s White Paper on the Transformation of the Health System argues that a move to community-based health care, specifically mental health, would help reduce the stigma associated with mental illness because community and family involvement would be integral parts of the plan. As the White Paper states: “At the community level, non-governmental and other grassroots organisations should be involved in mental health services. Communities should be actively involved in the planning and implementation of community-based mental health care services, as well as substance abuse prevention, management, and rehabilitation.”
However, stigma still exists and access to mental health care services has not improved as much as we had hoped since the end of apartheid. We also find that, in the space of mental health care, there still seems to be a large focus on one-on-one interventions, rather than community-based interventions.
Watch as Dr Poppy Masinga, Head of Social Work and Community Development at SACAP, facilitates a panel discussion with experts in the field of community-based services.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within the webinar are solely the speaker’s and do not reflect the opinions and beliefs of SACAP or its affiliates.
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