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The Secretary General of the Democratic Party (DP) and Member of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), Rt. Hon. Dr. Siranda Blacks Gerald, has called for stronger regional parliamentary leadership to address the growing mental health crisis across the East African Community (EAC), saying mental health must be treated as a regional development and governance priority rather than solely a national concern.
Speaking during the Fourth Mental Health Awareness Camp at the Parliament of Uganda, Dr. Siranda commended the Uganda Parliamentary Forum on Mental Health for extending the conversation beyond national borders, noting that mental health challenges transcend boundaries as East Africans increasingly move across the region for education, trade, employment, business, and other opportunities.
He observed that while the East African Community has made significant progress in harmonising policies in sectors such as trade, education, health, and security, mental health has not received comparable legislative and policy attention. According to him, this gap requires deliberate regional action.
Dr. Siranda stressed that genuine regional integration must include the harmonisation of mental health laws, standards, and service delivery frameworks across all Partner States. He said this should cover prevention, early intervention, treatment, rehabilitation, reintegration, workforce development, data systems, and reporting mechanisms to ensure equitable access to quality mental healthcare throughout the region.
He further noted that regional legislators have a responsibility not only to formulate policies but also to ensure that regional commitments are effectively implemented at the national level through coherent legislative and accountability frameworks.
On financing, Dr. Siranda expressed concern that mental health continues to receive inadequate budgetary allocations across the region despite the increasing burden of mental health conditions. He called for increased and protected investments in mental health within national budgets and regional programmes, while encouraging innovative financing models that combine government resources, private sector investment, development partner support, and community-based initiatives.
He emphasized that financing must be accompanied by strong parliamentary oversight to ensure that allocated resources are used efficiently and produce measurable improvements in service delivery. According to him, accountability should be evidence based, transparent, and focused on improving the wellbeing of citizens.
Dr. Siranda challenged policymakers to regularly assess whether mental health services are accessible across all Partner States, whether minimum standards of care are consistently applied, and whether governments are investing sufficiently in prevention and community based mental health systems capable of responding to the region’s growing needs.
He said EALA is strategically positioned to promote regional cooperation through legislation, oversight, collaboration with national parliaments, and knowledge sharing aimed at reducing disparities in mental health services across the East African Community.
Highlighting key regional priorities, Dr. Siranda proposed three strategic pillars for strengthening mental health systems within the EAC: harmonising mental health policies and legislation, securing sustainable financing, and strengthening parliamentary accountability for implementation and service delivery.
Among the proposed actions, he called for the development of a unified regional mental health policy, mutual recognition of mental health professionals across Partner States, harmonised treatment standards, integration of mental healthcare into primary healthcare and schools, increased domestic financing, subsidised essential psychotropic medicines, and stronger oversight to eliminate unsafe and unaccredited rehabilitation facilities.
Dr. Siranda concluded by urging East African parliamentarians to mainstream mental health within the broader regional integration agenda, arguing that the success of the East African Community should not only be measured by trade, infrastructure, or economic growth, but also by the wellbeing of its people.
He maintained that a mentally healthy region is a productive region, a coordinated region is a stronger region, and that investing in mental health is ultimately an investment in the future of East Africa.
, https://eastafricanwatch.net/eala-mp-and-dp-secretary-general-calls-for-regional-action-on-mental-health-policy-financing-and-accountability/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=eala-mp-and-dp-secretary-general-calls-for-regional-action-on-mental-health-policy-financing-and-accountability
