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Scaling Up Mental Health Services in Zambia: Challenges and Opportunities Reported in an Education Project.

yes / The need to increase the capacity of developing countries to meet the mental health needs of their populations is widely acknowledged. This article examines some of the challenges associated with a British Council DelPHE project aimed at strengthening the capacity of mental health educators to prepare the mental health workforce in Zambia for a shift from an institutional to a community-based model of care. The analysis draws on data from two focus groups in which the participants were drawn from college educators who had taken part in workshops intended to enhance curriculum alignment to ensure that the education and training provided for clinical officers (psychiatry) and mental health nurses was "fit for purpose." In particular, the article highlights their perspectives on some of the tensions in focusing on mental health as opposed to broader health care and in ensuring appropriate opportunities for practice or field placements. The continuing impact of stigma and limited resources available for mental ill-health is acknowledged within the wider context of inequities in mental health care. Findings of this evaluation may be applicable to other sub-Saharan contexts, but should be understood only within the Zambian context.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:BRADFORD/oai:bradscholars.brad.ac.uk:10454/7430
Date January 2013
CreatorsKarban, Kate, Bowa, A.C., Patrick, S., Penson, B., Walker, B., Ng'andu, R., Mbewe, E.
Source SetsBradford Scholars
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeArticle, final draft paper
Rights© 2013 Taylor & Francis. Reproduced in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. This is an Author's Original Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in the International Journal of Mental Health available online at http://www.tandfonline.com/10.2753/IMH0020-7411420204

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