On October 2009, the St. Camille Foundation signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Health of Benin in order to launch the implementation of a new project. The intervention will contribute to facilitate the integration of mental health care into primary health care, scaling up the capacity of general health professionals to diagnose and treat mental disorders.
The project addresses the lack of access to care for people with mental disorders in primary health facilities of the country. The integration of mental health within primary health care is a key fundamental achievement for an efficient mental health system as it promotes accessibility and affordability, it enables an early diagnosis, the respect of human rights and prevents the institutionalization of individuals with mental disorders.
Thanks to this initiative, implemented in collaboration with the Mental Health National Program of Benin and benefiting of the technical advice of the WHO, primary health care professionals in selected areas of the country will acquire the necessary knowledge and applied techniques needed to approach and provide an adequate response to cases of mental disorders.