Making sure people have access to mental health care, regardless of their location, income level, age, ethnicity or other factors, and addressing the underlying causes of mental illness, will require holistic action. In partnership with UNICEF and UNHCR, plans are underway to train teachers too, so that they can provide psychosocial support to children in conflict situations. In Tigray in Ethiopia, training for mental health and psychosocial support is being provided for primary health care workers. We are also providing support in protracted crises, such as north east Nigeria and South Sudan, where minimum service packages for mental health and psychosocial support are being implemented in partnership with UNICEF. So, there is a severe dearth of experts to provide specialized care.ДЄs WHO we are working with countries to develop strategies to expand access to specialized care and to provide training to primary health care workers, to make mental health care more accessible in communities. Looking specifically at psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers, there is less than one specialist per million people. There are fewer than two mental health workers per 100,000 people in the African Region, compared to a global average of 13. Unfortunately, most people with mental health conditions in Africa do not have access to quality care. The majority of resources for mental health should go towards primary care and community-based programmes, to promote re-integration of вЂњlong-stayвЂќ patients back into society, and to provide support for carers so they are better able to support people with mental health conditions. Less than 15% is spent on mental health services provided in the community or in primary care facilities. Analysis suggests that low-income countries need to be spendinga minimum of two dollars per person on mental health вЂ“ and middle-income countries at least double this вЂ“ if there are to be acceptable levels of access and coverage for people living with these conditions.ДЄ further challenge is that over 80% of the scarce resources available are allocated to large psychiatric institutions in big cities. This means that for most people, the lionвЂ™s share of mental health care costs are either borne by households and families, or that people needing care donвЂ™t receive it. There has been little progress in terms of government spending on mental health, which remains below US$ 1 per person in most countries of the Region. Overall, there is a fundamental underinvestment in mental health that makes providing access to care incredibly difficult. This yearвЂ™s theme is вЂњMental health care for all: letвЂ™s make it a realityвЂќ because too many people in the African Region and beyond, lack access to care for mental health conditions. World Mental Health Day is a chance to reflect on how we can improve our own health, and to reach out and ask how other people are feeling. World Mental Health Day, on 10 October, is an opportunity to draw attention to an often-overlooked and neglected aspect of our well-being.ДЄlmost two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are experiencing isolation, anxiety or depression. Message of WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti

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