WPA Regional Meeting in Abuja, Nigeria

The World Psychiatric Association Regional Meeting in Abuja, Nigeria: 22 – 24, October, 2009.

The recently concluded World Psychiatric Association (WPA) Regional Meeting, held in Abuja, Nigeria on October 22 -24, 2009, attracted 309 delegates from 19 countries.  Held in collaboration with the African Association of Psychiatrists and Allied Professionals (AAPAP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) and hosted by the Association of Psychiatrists in Nigeria (APN), the theme of the meeting, “Scaling up and reaching down – addressing unmet need for service”, was chosen to reflect a major focus of current attention among stakeholders in global mental health, including both the WHO and the WPA.

The meeting was declared open by the Nigerian President, who was represented by the Minister of Health, Professor Babatunde Osotimehin. In his opening address, the President informed the audience that a revised mental health policy and draft mental health legislation for Nigeria were going through a process of stakeholder consultations and was hopeful that these documents would soon begin to receive official attention. The WPA President, Professor Mario Maj, highlighted the items in the WPA triennium plan with salience for the region. These included the focus on policy engagement to extend mental health service, development of educational programmes for young psychiatrists, and attention to populations with special needs, including those with recent experience of disaster. Dr Shekhar Saxena from the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse of the WHO assured the audience of the importance attached to service scale up in the region as attested to by the identification of several countries in need of focussed support in the Organization’s mHGAP document. Oye Gureje, the meeting convener, set the meeting in the context of several decades of growth of academic psychiatry in Nigeria. He reminded participants that the first formal meeting of psychiatrists from across the world to be held in Sub-Saharan Africa was convened in Nigeria by the late Professor Adeoye Lambo in November 1961.  Dr Frank Njenga, the out-going President of AAPAP traced the history of the development of the Association and noted that, in a relatively short period of its existence, it has established credibility as a professional organization.

The meeting had a full complement of scientific programmes including plenary lectures, key lectures, symposia and free papers reporting new research. Specific attention was given to several components of the WPA Action Plan 2008 – 2011. These included a symposium on successful experiences in our field (with examples of mental health reform (Uganda), cultural therapy (Jamaica), and a mental health/HIV initiative (in several African countries)); and a forum discussion focussing on the roles of professional societies in health care reforms.  The symposium  in which updates of the revision process of the ICD and DSM were provided by Drs Darrel Regier and Shekhar Saxena  was of particular interest to many participants. Two special workshops were held during the meeting: one on communicating with children and adults with intellectual disabilities (by Professor Sheila Hollins) and the other on the United Nations Interagency Standing Committee Guidelines on responding to conflicts and disasters (by Dr J Nakku and colleagues).  

Two pre- and post-meeting events are worthy of note. A study group, sponsored by the International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists and Allied Professionals  was conducted for three days prior to the commencement of the meeting.  Directed by Professor Brian Robertson, it had Professor Myron Belfer as a member of the faculty. Another workshop for young psychiatrists on professional and leadership skills, directed by Professor Norman Sartorius, was organized to follow the main meeting.  Other members of the faculty were Professors Graham Thornicroft, Soraya Seedat and Oye Gureje.

A presentation was made by Professor Norman Sartorius in honor of Professor Adeoye Lambo, the first Nigerian psychiatrist who later became the Deputy Director-General of the WHO at the conference dinner.  It traced the development and execution of the International Pilot Study of Schizophrenia, a pioneering multi-country collaborative project of the WHO in which both Professors Sartorius and Lambo as well as another participant at the meeting, Professor Michael Olatawura, were involved.  Backed with black-and-white photos taken during the project’s execution, the presentation provided young members of the audience a historical excursion to the distant past of psychiatric epidemiology. A formal change of leadership of the AAPAP was also witnessed at the dinner when Dr Frank Njenga, the out-going President, handed over the ceremonial chain of office to Professor Oye Gureje as the new President. As part of the social events during the meeting, a cocktail was arranged at the premises of the British High Commission by the African Division of the Royal College of Psychiatrists for invited delegates.

Oye Gureje
Convener

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Brief report: Prof S Rataemane Secretary General of AAPAP

This meeting was held at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Center in Abuja, Nigeria from 22 – 24 October 2009. It was organized jointly by the Association of Psychiatrists of Nigeria, African Association of Psychiatry and Allied Professions and World Psychiatric Association with support from the World Health Organization. This excellent meeting enjoyed active participation from a number of countries including the USA, Jamaica, Australia, UK, Japan, Turkey, Italy & other European countries, South Africa, Uganda, Ghana, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Liberia, Kenya, Nigeria and other African countries. There was minimal support form the pharmaceutical industry but local support from various Nigerian Hospitals, Universities, private sector and Government sector was commendable.

The overall organization under the leadership of Prof Oye Gureje was excellent. The official opening of the conference was graced by messages of support from the office of the President of Nigeria and also from the Ministry of Health in Nigeria. There was a good selection of presentations for key note addresses and symposiums. The opening session was dedicated to the late Prof Ayo Binitie from Nigeria. It was marked by a thought –provoking presentation from the WPA President, Prof Mario Maj on “Depression vs Normal Sadness: towards the DSM-V and ICD-11. In the same session Prof N Sartorius took us through concerns and recommendations on “Strategies of mental health care in the 21st century”. Additional programs included a session chaired by Dr Frank Njenga and Dr Femi Olugbile on issues related to collaboration with the Royal College of Psychiatry; training in child and adolescent psychiatry led by Prof Brian Robertson; leadership training for young psychiatrists led by Prof Norman Sartorius; and the WHO session on “Mental Health Gap Action Program (mhGAP)” led jointly by Prof Oye Gureje, Prof Mario Maj and Dr S Saxena. The conference dinner was marked by a presentation from N Sartorius dedicated to the late Prof Adeoye Lambo. The dinner ended with an official hand over of the presidency of AAPAP from Dr F Njenga to Prof O Gureje.

In keeping with the theme of the conference “Scaling up and reaching down – addressing unmet needs for service”, there were excellent scientific papers, evidence based presentations identifying gaps in the mental health services in Africa, and others addressing best practice in management of an array of disorders including schizophrenia, mood disorders, HIV related problems, PTSD, substance abuse  and others. Of note was a session with a presentation on “Choosing Psychiatry as profession or specialty”. This is in line with the WPA interest in finding best ways to encourage young doctors to specialize in Psychiatry.

AAPAP was able to hold a general assembly and an executive committee meeting in keeping with the constitutional requirements. Various future plans  and recommendations for membership of the association, membership of the board and a series of next meetings were tabled for discussion. The following were confirmed:

• The next AAPAP meeting will be held in Khartoum, Sudan 10 -12 December 2010
• The 2011 and 2012 AAPAP meetings will be in South Africa and Uganda and could be changed based on any new developments
• The next WPA Regional meeting in Africa will be confirmed after communication with the WPA executive committee (will most probably be in Uganda)
• Individual membership fee of USD25 should be collected by national associations of psychiatry and forwarded to the treasurer of AAPAP
• The constitutional provisions allowing for the inclusion of representatives of Interest Groups/Task Forces in the Executive Committee will be implemented by inviting representatives from the Association of Young Psychiatrists, . The President was also mandated to nominate at least one member of the Allied Professions to the EC.
• Appointments to the AAPAP Executive and Board include:
  • President of AAPAP: Prof Oye Gureje (Nigeria)
  • Treasurer of AAPAP: Dr Fred Kigozi (Uganda)
  • Secretary General: Prof Solomon Rataemane (South Africa)
  • Ex-officio Members: 
    • Dr Frank Njenga (Kenya & past president of AAPAP)
    • Prof R Emsley (South Africa):
    • Prof C Szabo (Chief Editor of AJOP)
    • Dr Abdallah Abdelrahman (Sudan):
    • Prof Mesfin Araya (Ethiopia)
• The next General assembly to review the Association’s activities and engage its membership will be held during the next AAPAP meeting in Sudan

AAAPAP will intensify efforts to promote leadership in research and teaching among young psychiatrists with publications in the African Journal of Psychiatry, WPA newsletter & Journal, including other international journals.

The President of AAPAP, Prof Oye Gureje, closed the meeting by thanking all the participants for their contributions and WPA and WHO for a strong presence at this conference. All the generous contributions from the private and public sector were also acknowledged.

Prof. Rataemane,
WPA Zone Representative for Southern & Eastern Africa (Zone 14)