NMA calls for affordable mental healthcare for young Nigerians

The Nigerian Medical Association has called for mental-health services to be made more affordable and accessible to young Nigerians, warning that the cost of professional care can prevent people from seeking help.

Professor Olayinka Atilola of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital made the call while representing NMA President Prof. Afekhide Ernest Omoti at the fourth Vanguard Mental Health Summit in Lagos.

The summit focused on youth mental health, access to treatment, substance misuse, digital pressures and the need to translate Nigeria’s existing mental-health policies into services that people can actually use.

NMA wants mental health integrated into primary healthcare

Atilola called for mental-health services to be incorporated more extensively into primary healthcare so that support can be available closer to where young people live.

He argued that policies alone are insufficient if young people cannot afford counselling, reach trained professionals or obtain treatment when they need it.

The NMA representative also identified schools and universities as important places for prevention and early intervention.

He said educational institutions should strengthen counselling services and give greater attention to mental-health education alongside conventional physical-health education.

Families, schools and government urged to act

Atilola described youth mental health as an issue extending beyond the healthcare sector, noting that its effects can reach families, education, productivity and wider national development.

He called for better identification of young people at risk, greater action against substance misuse and stronger efforts to reduce the stigma associated with seeking professional help.

The association also urged government to provide adequate financing for existing mental-health policies.

Nigeria already has frameworks including the National Mental Health Act 2021 and revised mental-health policies, but access, financing and implementation remain significant challenges. The Federal Ministry of Health has previously acknowledged that many Nigerians still pay directly for mental-health services and has said financial protection needs to improve.

World Mental Health Day 2026

The discussion comes ahead of World Mental Health Day on October 10.

The 2026 theme is “Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change,” which emphasises involving people with lived experience in the design of mental-health services and policies.

Atilola also urged the media and the public to report mental-health crises responsibly and avoid graphic treatment of suicide and other personal tragedies.