Gulu City Woman MP Hon. Betty Aol Ocan has called on all elected leaders across Acholi to prioritize mental health awareness if they are to save the community from acts of vagabondage.
This she said over the weekend as Gulu city commemorated its mental health awareness day celebration.
The former leader of opposition took on the mantle to rally elected leaders who have shunned the struggle of people with mental health complication to wake up and treat it as a matter of utmost urgence especially in Acholi sub-region.
The event was marked under the theme of ''access to service'' that brought together a number of partners joining hands in a fight against mental health illness and thanked them for taking a leap and leading by example.
"I want to thank all the partners- they were so many and i think if they work together and if they put a working strategy then we would be able to help our people better. We still have suicide which is still rampant with us and people killing others.".
Watch her full interview here>https://youtu.be/dw2lDYhfsUM?si=LU9kX_xtj1nyTn4j
She applauded the University of Sacred Heart for coming out to train people on how to talk, and share with people in tackling the illness in the community.
Daniel Comboni Ocen, a worker with Mental Health Uganda in-charge of youth mental health said they use the platform to do advocacy to create mental health awareness and also tell people about the referral point where they can access mental health care within this region not just Gulu City or Gulu District but the all region.
He further stressed that as mental health Uganda, they have their roots in the schools where they have trained mental champion, and teachers who are now focal on mental health because children spend most of their time in schools compared to home
With a modest turn up, Daniel revealed that the event had been over shadowed by a down power of political activities across the country and in the region.
