Canadian Organization set to Combat Mental Disorders in Nigerian Children

Posted by African Examiner Ignatius Okpara, Latest Headlines, News Sunday, January 12th, 2014

IGNATIUS OKPARA, Enugu

A Canada based humanitarian organisation, Grand Challenges Canada, GCC, said it has concluded plans to provide free diagnosis and treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders for Nigerian children under the age of 3 years.

The project is being led by Dr. Muideen Owolabi Bakare of Child and Adolescent Unit, Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu.

Disclosing this to newsmen in Enugu Sunday, Bakare said the project, which is expected to take off in Lagos, will spread to all the states in Nigeria.

He hinted that the Grand Challenges Canada “is supporting Childhood Neuropsychiatric Disorders Initiative, CNDI, in collaboration with Child and Adolescent Centre of the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Yaba Lagos and University Centre for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, of the Havard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA”.

Bakare further disclosed that the project which focuses on early diagnosis and interventions for childhood neurodevelopmental disorders “will improve diagnosis and treatment of childhood neurodevelopmental disorders before the age of three years, reducing associated social stigma in Nigeria”.

He said “Late identification and interventions for childhood neurodevelopmental disorders often lead to lack of access to educational opportunity in affected children and impaired expressive language ability.

According to him, “The project will incorporate routine surveillance and screening for childhood neurodevelopmental disorders into the well established National Programme on Immunization, NPI, in Nigeria.

“It will impact positively on global mental health of Nigerian children”, he added.

He said Grand Challenges Canada is funded by the Government of Canada and supports bold ideas with big impact in global health.