By Gillian Namungala –

Zambia has recently witnessed a rise in a number of dreadful reports on social media which are seemingly caused by mental health stresses.
While it is difficult to substantiate these occurrences, one cannot refute them.
And they raise questions pertaining to mental health.
It is said that “there’s no health without mental health.”
Mental health is important and key to people’s daily lives.
Looking at the definition, it is clear and well elaborated that mental health is a state of well being in which an individual realises his or her own abilities, copes with the normal stresses of life, works productive and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.
The importance of mental health issues cannot be over emphasised.
Zambia Correctional Service (ZCS) has not been spared from handling mental health issues.
This is because it is one institution that has been charged with custodial responsibility of those found on the other side of the law.
It is against this custodial background, encompassed with the entire criminal justice process and prison all-deal that makes it impossible to speak about mental health without mentioning ZCS.
ZCS clinician Tamara Zgambo admits in an interview that mental health is a serious emerging public health challenge in Zambia in general and ZCS in particular.
Ms Zgambo says of late, the service has witnessed a sharp increase in mental health cases among inmates and officers.
Currently, ZCS has about 335 inmates with mental illness.
Ms Zgambo, who is also ZCS assistant commissioner, says the correctional is on top of things and is working to ensure that patients (inmates) are cared for.
She says the service has two main centres where mental patients are kept, namely Chainama East Correctional Hospital and Livingstone Central Correctional Centre.
Ms Zgambo says the centres house patients (remandees) with mental health conditions and convicts who develop mental health problems whilst in the correctional facilities.
Ms Zgambol says inmates develop mental health challenges while in the correctional facilities because of the stress, the environment and lifestyle which they fail to cope with.
She explains that with those that find themselves in correctional facilities with mental health issues as remandees (people who are not yet convicted), they continue attending court proceedings, and if the judge notices that they have a mental problem, the judge would write a recommendation called a court order for the individual to be assessed.
Ms Zgambo says the patient would then be taken to Chainama East where the assessment would be done for a period of six months and then a doctor would write a report stating whether the individual is able to stand trial.
Ms Zgambo further says with inmates who develop mental health challenges while in the correctional centres, they are identified by well trained peer educators in their cells and are taken to the clinic where a clinician would assess and put them on medication.
The individuals would also be on observation.
If they are aggressive, they are put in isolation until they calm down.
She says despite challenges of lack of Information Communication Technology (ICT) equipment, inadequate infrastructure, financial support, transport, health equipment and nutrition, the ZCS has endeavoured to ensure World Health Organisation (WHO) health recommendations for inmates are adhered to.
But she is quick to mention that the service’s open door work policy has assisted to bring a number of cooperating partners on board who assist with drugs and screening of mental health patients.
Ms Zgambo cited Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative (REPSSI), In But Free (IBF) and United Nation Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) as being some of the partners that are working with ZCS to address mental health issues.
Others are Ubumi Prisons Initiative and the Ministry of Health.
Speaking during the official launch of a mental health sensitization campaign at Kabwe Maximum Security Prison and Correctional Centre, which was held under the theme, “Mental Health in an Unequal World”, ZCS Central Region Deputy Commanding Officer Justine Kaunda expressed gratitude to Ubumi Prisons Initiative and In-But Free for their tireless efforts in improving mental health in prisons and correctional centres.
Mr Kaunda further called for upholding of mental health patients’ rights by treating them humanely and also respecting their human rights.
During the same event, Ubumi Prisons Initiative Country Coordinator Lena Kresojevic said her organisation was looking forward to the commitment made by the ZCS in the implementation of activities that work towards the improvement of mental health among inmates and officers.
Ms Kresojevic further expressed gratitude to the ZCS for having an open door policy.
(The author is chief reporter-public relations unit, Zambia Correction Service).