Table 3.
Opportunities for community and health system engagement on mental health support systems in Tchikapa
| Opportunity | Activity | Supporting statement |
|---|---|---|
| Increase awareness in primary healthcare and the community | Train health workers and community relay agents on mental health and NTDs | “What I can give as recommendations, the first one is to train people, health providers, since they go to communities, they can also teach the notion of mental health in the community level and assist those people with mental health, not to stigmatize them”. (KII, health professional, Kasai) |
| Cascade awareness to communities using community relay agents | “Continue sensitization and active search for cases in the community, use community intermediate person (community relay agents). When some persons will present any sign for mental health, the community intermediate persons, will explain to the community, train someone established here that will be helping us, not to stigmatize them”. (KII, community representative, Ngombe) | |
| Engage people affected by skin NTDs | “What works well is the inclusion of people affected by chronic diseases in activities to talk about what they think. All of these will be well reasoned by the sick person and his or her mental health will no doubt have an impact”. (KII, health professional, Kasai) | |
| Improve on health system organizational challenges | Provide medications, improve logistics and motivate health personnel | “It is necessary to make available to the nurses the inputs such as drugs, and transport. Motivate the people who take care of these people who are affected by chronic NTDs”. (KII, health professional, Kasai) |
| Establish a community-driven mental health support platform | Establish community-led mental health support groups | “At the community level, it is necessary to accompany the patients who are in the community, it is also necessary to create support groups, mentors, people who are already sick, who become autonomous and who can support the people who are weak. It is necessary to create this group of self-help or self-support at the community level that will be accompanied or will be under the coordination of the technicians”. (KII, health professional, Tchikapa) |
| Accompany people with chronic skin NTDs with psychological support using established examples | “Often these patients are depressed, it is a question of accompanying them and supporting them psychologically which I do in my experience with people living with HIV. So to include them in society easily it is necessary to support them psychologically”. (KII, health professional, Kasai) | |
| Establish a formal mental health coordination bureau | “Apart from that, having a mental health coordination office here is also a recommendation, to train someone that can stay here for help in case of any need”. (KII, health professional, Kasai) | |
| Explore/support potentials of people living with skin NTDs to be self-sufficient | Promote income generating activities | “Give an activity adapted to the people affected which can provide them with money so that they do not beg”. (KII, community member, Ngombe) |
| Support the needs of people with chronic skin NTDs | “The only solution I find is to ask the authorities to take care of these patients, that is to say the right treatment, accommodation and food, that's my experience”. (KII, community representative, Tshisele) |