PhD Student working on "Integration of mental health in primary health care services in Democratic Republic of the Congo" at the School of Public Health, Université libre de Bruxelles, University of Lubumbashi and Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp. I'm also a Senior Lecturer in Public Health - Health Systems and Policy at Kananga Higher Institute of Medical Techniques. Supervisors: Yves Coppieters, Faustin Chenge Mukalenge, Joris Michelsien, and Bart Criel
BackgroundIntegrating mental health care into the primary care system is an important policy opti... more BackgroundIntegrating mental health care into the primary care system is an important policy option in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). From the perspective of the integration of mental health care in district health services, this study analyzed the existing demand and supply of mental health care in the health district of Tshamilemba, which is located in Lubumbashi, the second largest city of the DRC. We critically examined the district’s operational response capacity to address mental health.MethodsA multimethod cross-sectional exploratory study was carried out. We conducted a documentary review (including an analysis of the routine health information system) from the health district of Tshamilemba. We further organized a survey to which 591 residents responded and conducted 5 focus group discussions with 50 key stakeholders (doctors, nurses, managers, community health workers and leaders, health care users). The demand for mental health care was analyzed through the a...
OBJECTIVE The study aims to document the experience of integrating a mental health care package i... more OBJECTIVE The study aims to document the experience of integrating a mental health care package into the general health care system of Lubero district in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) between 2011 and 2015, and more specifically, the effects of this integration on the access to and use of health services offering mental health care. METHOD This is a retrospective study using a case study design. Data collected from different project documents and an analytic review of the official reports of the Ministry of Public Health were used for an analysis of the results of the integration. RESULTS The results indicate that 3,941 patients with mental health problems used the care offered at the health centers and the district hospital between 2012 and 2015. In 2015, the average utilization rate of curative care in health centers for mental health problems was 7 new cases/1,000 inhabitants/year. The majority of these patients were treated on an outpatient basis, at primary health care...
BackgroundIntegrating mental health care into the primary care system is an important policy opti... more BackgroundIntegrating mental health care into the primary care system is an important policy option in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). From the perspective of the integration of mental health care in district health services, this study analyzed the existing demand and supply of mental health care in the health district of Tshamilemba, which is located in Lubumbashi, the second largest city of the DRC. We critically examined the district’s operational response capacity to address mental health.MethodsA multimethod cross-sectional exploratory study was carried out. We conducted a documentary review (including an analysis of the routine health information system) from the health district of Tshamilemba. We further organized a survey to which 591 residents responded and conducted 5 focus group discussions with 50 key stakeholders (doctors, nurses, managers, community health workers and leaders, health care users). The demand for mental health care was analyzed through the a...
OBJECTIVE The study aims to document the experience of integrating a mental health care package i... more OBJECTIVE The study aims to document the experience of integrating a mental health care package into the general health care system of Lubero district in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) between 2011 and 2015, and more specifically, the effects of this integration on the access to and use of health services offering mental health care. METHOD This is a retrospective study using a case study design. Data collected from different project documents and an analytic review of the official reports of the Ministry of Public Health were used for an analysis of the results of the integration. RESULTS The results indicate that 3,941 patients with mental health problems used the care offered at the health centers and the district hospital between 2012 and 2015. In 2015, the average utilization rate of curative care in health centers for mental health problems was 7 new cases/1,000 inhabitants/year. The majority of these patients were treated on an outpatient basis, at primary health care...
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