Empumalanga Clinic has lauded its partnership with Friendship Bench Zimbabwe for playing a significant part in addressing mental health care in communities in its area of jurisdiction and beyond.
Empumalanga Clinic Sister-in-Charge Sindiso Mhlanga spoke of the gains achieved from this partnership.
“Friendship Bench was recommended to us by the Ministry and since we started working with them, we have managed to refer numerous patients in need of psychological related services to our Community Health Workers whom they trained.
“The Community Health Workers will counsel these individuals and in most cases their condition
significantly changes for the better. They also have a target of attending to at least 16 people a month within their locality,” she said.
Since 2019, Friendship Bench has worked with the Ministry of Health and Child Care within the National Strategic Plan for Mental Health Services.
Katiwe Tshuma, a community health worker, said through the knowledge imparted to them by the Friendship Bench they have managed to assist several people suffering from
common health problems mostly depression.
“We undertake problem-solving therapy to a number of people, especially those with depression,’’
Tshuma said.
“We ensure that the process is as interactive as possible as we seek the person to come out of his shell and pour their heart out pertaining to what might be troubling them.”
Tshuma further stated that depression can develop at any age, but it has more consequences in people suffering from chronic diseases.
“Depression has more consequences to people with chronic diseases as they are likely to default in
taking their medication. The problem-solving therapy works by enabling a more positive orientation toward resolving problems.
“After a couple of weeks, we return to the person whom we would have counselled to check if there has been any progress with regards to his or her condition. If there isn’t any change, we seek to establish the reason and then repeat the therapy again,” she said.
New Ziana