![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Dr-Samateh-v6__ScaleMaxWidthWzcwMF0.jpg\")
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Currently, The Gambia has only about six to seven psychiatrists for its entire population\u2014one of the lowest ratios in the subregion. Yet, Dr. Samateh said the ministry is already partnering with Egypt to build psychiatric capacity and expand mental health care beyond the Greater Banjul Area.<\/p>\n
\u201cMental health affects families, communities, and workplaces,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s time we stop treating it as a side issue and make it part of mainstream health care. Our aim is to bring psychiatric services closer to the people, not just in Banjul.\u201d<\/p>\n
The minister also disclosed that the government plans to invest in better equipment, more training, and improved working conditions to attract and retain health professionals including those in mental health.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are decentralizing services and providing high-level equipment and accommodation for health workers,\u201d he said. \u201cMany of the new health facilities have staff quarters that are fully furnished and air-conditioned. When people have comfort and career prospects, they are motivated to stay.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that a shortage of specialists has long hampered mental health care, but the ministry\u2019s training partnerships are expected to reverse that trend. \u201cWe now have a resident doctor who passed his psychiatry membership exams and has returned to serve,\u201d he noted proudly.<\/p>\n
Dr. Samateh also touched on the public\u2019s growing mental strain, pointing to socioeconomic pressures and post-pandemic realities. \u201cWe are seeing more cases of stress, depression, and substance-related issues,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s no longer an isolated problem\u2014it\u2019s a national one.\u201d<\/p>\n
The minister, who has often faced fierce criticism over the state of health services, reaffirmed that his ministry\u2019s focus is not only on physical infrastructure but also on mental well-being.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe same energy we are putting into hospitals and maternity wards must also go into mental health,\u201d he emphasised. \u201cBecause without mental wellness, our communities cannot truly thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n
He concluded by calling on Gambians to show compassion and understanding toward people struggling with mental illness, urging families to seek help rather than hide loved ones in silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cStigma kills faster than disease,\u201d he cautioned. \u201cWe must treat people with mental health challenges as patients, not outcasts.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Currently, The Gambia has only about six to seven psychiatrists for its entire population\u2014one of the lowest ratios…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":110201,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[134,554,555,111,139,69],"class_list":{"0":"post-110200","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-mental-health","10":"tag-mentalhealth","11":"tag-new-zealand","12":"tag-newzealand","13":"tag-nz"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110200","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=110200"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110200\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/110201"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=110200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=110200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=110200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}